Barely 2 per cent of construction workers are women, but building a new school will help to break down gender barriers, the ACT Government believes.

The new public school in Strathnairn, Ginninderry, will be a women-led construction project, as a sign of the ACT Government’s commitment to improving gender equity for women in the construction industry, Yvette Berry, Minister for Education and for Women, stated.

The government will deliver the contract with a tenderer whose site management team is all women, and every trade subcontractor will have women workers.

An expression of interest seeking responses from market will be released shortly via Tenders ACT.

Women made up only 2.4 per cent of people working in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, automotive and telecommunications trades in the ACT, according to 2016 census data.

The ACT Government prioritises the increased participation of women on construction sites, and aims to promote more inclusive, gender-diverse hiring practices, Ms Berry said.

• Read also: ACT high school program encourages girls to enter construction (20 May)

“We want to support more women to undertake or grow their careers within the construction industry.

“Having a women-led construction project for one of the ACT’s new public schools sends a strong message that we need to continue working together to break down gender barriers in the construction industry.”

Under the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-2026, the government committed to deliver a women-led major capital works project.

The $62.4 million school – the first in Ginninderry – is scheduled for completion in 2025. Ms Berry said it would give families moving to the region access to “free, high-quality public education”.