About us

Who we are

TradeCareers is brought to you by Waihanga Ara Rau and Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Councils, and is supported by Te Pukenga, BCITO, Connexis, Skills, and Competenz, and funded through the Tertiary Education Commission.

These are the industry advocacy and training organisations that look after the apprenticeships and training you need to work in the trades. TradeCareers programme uses the data from its pioneering research and insights report (2021) revealing the barriers Kiwi women face when entering the building, construction and infrastructure industries.

TradeCareers programme uses the data from its pioneering 2021 research and insights report revealing the barriers Kiwi women face when entering the building, construction and infrastructure industries. 79% of employers who took the TradeCareers survey are keen to employ women but need support to do so and 60% of them, women who took our survey, want to work in the trades Download full report here.

As part of our kaupapa to support women, our project team, production crew, design team are all women-led or owned businesses.

What we Do

Trade Careers mission is to create pathways and reduce barriers for women to transition into careers within the Trades with special attention and support for Māori and Pacific career seekers. And to support Employers in these sectors to create safe and respectful workplaces that are ready to hire women.

In mid 2021, there were only 8235 women in apprenticeships and managed apprenticeships in the construction and infrastructure sector.

This is an overall percentage of 15% of the total enrollments as at October 2021. This is up from 13.5% in 2020. Overall there are 13.5% of women in the trades including in administration roles. We think these percentages need to be a lot higher.

Source: (source Nga Kete TEC)

What women want

To know 'how to get a foot in the door', what a worksite is really like, if their transferable skills will be valued and what the likelihood of having a good supportive boss is.

What employers want

Help finding women to hire, support to get ready for women in their workforce, and reassurance that hiring women will be great for their business. And across the board all wanted support and advice on how to create safe and respectful worksite for women. tips on 'keeping the boys in line when a lady is on-site.'

Get in touch

Get access to jobs within the trades, find out more on the opportunities available to you and stay up-to-date with all things TradeCareers by following us on Instagram or Facebook.

To get in touch with our team, flick us an email at tradecareer@trade-career.co.nz