The building and construction industry is Australia’s third largest employer and most male-dominated sector, with men making up 88 per cent of the workforce. Thanks to Australia’s ageing population, it also has an average age of 50. As one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia, it’s clear we will need a younger and more diverse workforce in the years ahead.

MBC has implemented a number of initiatives to support a diverse workforce. We believe that fresh ideas and perspectives are needed to create a better built environment for the people of NSW. This means encouraging more people to take on lesser-known roles such as cost planners, building certifiers, fire safety practitioners and Building Code of Australia (BCA) designers.

We support flexible working arrangements—not only to support the mental health of our team through better work-life balance, but also to encourage more women to get involved in an industry in which they are vastly underrepresented. Our team are also provided with financial support to complete their studies, achieve their certification and further their professional growth.

Our latest initiative is a Construction Management Scholarship for University of Newcastle students who are facing educational disadvantage, such as financial hardship. The scholarship is valued at $10,000 and aims to support students who are passionate about the industry and driven to succeed. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled in the 2nd or 3rd year of the Bachelor of Construction Management (Building)(Honours) with Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at University of Newcastle.
• Be enrolled full-time.
• Demonstrate academic achievement by having a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0 or higher.
• Demonstrate impact of educational disadvantage, such as carer, sole parent, financial hardship, English language difficulty, Indigenous Australian, long term medical condition or effects of abuse, disability, refugee status, regional/remote disadvantage.
• Not have previously completed a degree.
• Not be the recipient of another University of Newcastle scholarship at the same time.

Applications for the scholarship close on 9 March 2019, and we are excited to see the new generation of talent that will soon be joining the industry. We are looking to develop a similar program with Sydney University, to support outstanding students who are experiencing disadvantage. We hope these initiatives will encourage more young and diverse people to join the industry, ensuring it continues to thrive well into the future.