Work has officially started on the expansion of Byford Secondary College, which will increase the capacity of the school from 1680 to 2000 students.
And during construction there’ll be a focus on evening up the playing field for women in the industry.
BADGE Constructions has signed a contract for the build which includes a gender equality target – making this the second non-residential construction project in the state with a goal of boosting on-site female participation.
In March the lead contractor building Fremantle Hospital mental health facility set a 10-15 percent target of female tradies.
The target for BADGE Constructions is for 10 per cent of the total on-site workforce to be female workers over the duration of the contract.
The industry average is around 13 per cent for project teams. But only three per cent of on-site tradies are women, currently.
Government has collaboratively agreed these targets with industry to help increase female workforce participation and increase gender and cultural diversity in the construction industry.
Regular reporting will be undertaken throughout the project and will help inform future policy decisions regarding gender equality in construction including the potential use of targets.
“With the second gender equality pilot project now underway, we are excited to see the construction industry make meaningful change in this area,” Minister for Women’s Interests Sue Ellery said.
“This project will deliver terrific outcomes not only for the students at Byford Secondary College, but female talent within the construction industry by helping to promote opportunities for women, including apprentices and trainees,” Education Minister Tony Buti said.
“This will be a timely addition to the school’s capacity, with population growth in the local intake area projected to increase enrolments over the coming years.”
The expansion of Byford Secondary College includes a new double-storey building with general learning areas, an education support classroom, science, STEM and IT laboratories, design and technology areas, staff study areas and student services.
The project also includes refurbishments to the existing textiles/food preparation classroom to become a food technology kitchen, allowing the school to deliver a Certificate II Food Services program.
“This is such a crucial project for our local community, so I am thrilled to see this major election commitment of mine reach this important milestone,” local member Hugh Jones said.
