Today marks World International Women's Day and reminds us of the increase of women joining building and construction trades, an industry traditionally dominated by men.
Two young women, LizApril Fisa and Sharon Katari from Digara Construction Ltd. are part of this new generation of women in the building and construction industry.
Both young women are part of the company’s current project- the construction of a new 40 -bed female dormitory at the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, funded by a Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership Incentive Fund grant of PGK8.1million.
Digara as well as other companies are aware of lack of females in such trades and have seen the many benefits from employing women. Companies in the building and construction industry are keen to support and encourage their female workers and provide an avenue for Papua New Guinean women to apply their trade skills.
LizApril, from Tufi in the Northern Province said: “It’s kind of tough. When I first came [to this project], there weren’t any females. I was like, just treat them well, just like how I treat my brothers at home. Talk to them properly and make them feel comfortable because most of these guys have never worked with a female co-worker before so it’s quite hard to communicate and talk to them”.
Her collaborative approach has paid off. “I usually initiate discussions and always put myself out there and say hey, I’m here – you need anything, you need help or whatever let me know’. That’s my approach,” she notes.
After three months of her job as an Electrical Assistant for just three months, she is already noticing a shift in behaviour by her male colleagues.
Her colleague Sharon from Lufa in the Eastern Highlands province was with Digara for four years as a welder. But she agrees that women face particular challenges in the industry, especially juggling working and being a mother to a two-year-old son.
“I’d like to encourage young girls to take up trade courses offered at TVET schools. There are opportunities everywhere. Not every one of us is meant to go to universities, college or be doing office work. There are technical institutions that will develop you and your skills,” she says.
Both women welcomed the opportunity to work with Digara on the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Science project, which is a very important project benefiting women and girls.
The new dormitory project will strengthen health workforce in PNG by providing high quality accommodation and increasing access to quality local education opportunities for female students in PNG. The project is estimated to be completed in June 2023.