Together We RISE is a national, multi-year initiative led by NAEN and supported by the Commonwealth Government through the Building Women’s Careers program. We're working to transform the experience of women in male-dominated trades—so they’re not just recruited, but supported to stay, thrive, and lead.
This project brings together a powerful national partnership between NAEN, Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE), Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI), and the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU). Each partner plays a key role in building inclusive and sustainable change across the Group Training Organisation (GTO) network.
As the national coordinating body, NAEN leads stakeholder engagement, peer collaboration, and the creation of a new community for women in trades—Women-in-Trades Connected. We are also proud to host events, such as this one, that bring people together to share insights, build skills, and shape a better future for women apprentices in trades like construction, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.
This event is part of the RISE initiative—a bold and practical step towards more inclusive workplaces, safer training environments, and a more equitable future.
The National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN) has welcomed the federal government’s commitment to advancing many more opportunities for women, following the announcement of successful grants under the Building Women’s Careers (BWC) program.
Group Training Australia (trading as NAEN) is delighted to be lead partner in a consortium that will drive real change. The project, ‘Driving Gender Equity: Strengthening GTOs to Build Women’s Careers’, will be funded over three years under the BWC grants program.
The other Foundation Partners in the project are:
• Australian Workers Union
• Bendigo Kangan Institute
• Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE).
The partnership brings together apprentice employers, Australia’s largest trade union, one of the country’s leading education and training providers, and a national network of women involved in Vocational Education & Training (VET) to advance gender equity and build careers in critical industries.
The BWC program is a groundbreaking opportunity to change perceptions and deliver positive results for women, and all members of the partnership are totally committed to bringing about real change. Each of the partners brings extensive knowledge and expertise that spans the workplace, training delivery and the lived experiences of women across the community. Working together, they will be able to identify and address many of the obstacles that hold women back from realising their full potential in the workplace.