In an attempt to break the gender specific stereotype of tradies, young refugee women across the Hunter are being given the opportunity to 'get on the tools'.
Through the University of Newcastle's Social and Economic Resilience of Young Migrants and Refugee Women program, over the next 18 months 50 women, aged between 18 and 45, will undergo training and education to gain a Certificate II in Construction.
Participant Saeedah Allahyari migrated to Australia from Iran 15 months ago, and said she couldn't wait to get her confidence back.
"I want to get my confidence back, be a powerful woman in my life and be a role model for my son and show him there's no difference between men and women, and women can do whatever they want," she said.
Ms Allahyari said her plan was to become a carpenter or plumber for a couple of years and eventually step into a teaching role at TAFE.
"If I can get improved and handle it, I really want to continue as a mentor and teach and encourage other women to get into construction," she said.
"I hope one day comes that women can be equal as men in everything."
University of Newcastle School of Architecture and Built Environment, professor Temitope Egbelakin, said that by providing mentoring and networking opportunities, the participants in the program will be able to develop relationships with women in similar positions.
"Mentoring is critical for women entering the construction sector. It provides them with opportunities to become more competent in their roles and increase their ability to succeed in a male-dominated environment," she said.
She said the program would open up many career paths for participants to working onsite, in engineering, mining or housing.
"There are so many opportunities out there. The project also includes a mentoring to provide them with the necessary tools and backup for them to be able to succeed in the industry," she said.
Professor Egbelakin said it was important for women to get into the construction sector for a bright future.
"Sometimes we don't even feel the need, we have been stereotyping and we think we can't do it, but we can and we want to break the barriers and the time is right now," she said.
She called on the federal and state governments, construction companies and the broader community to support the program that is being assisted with a grant of $88,600 from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
