Pillar One

Foundations & Frameworks

Building the Evidence for Equality

Every change that lasts, begins with understanding.

Through the Foundations & Frameworks stage, led by WAVE, the Together We RISE project is helping Group Training Organisations (GTOs) see what sits beneath the surface — the policies, habits and hidden assumptions that quietly shape who thrives in trades,

… and who doesn’t.

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This pillar is about building evidence that guides action — turning what we know into what we do.

Why It Matters

Across Australia’s essential industries — construction, energy, transport, manufacturing — women remain a small minority on the tools. Not because of capability, but because of culture.

From the first careers chat in school to the final sign-off of an apprenticeship, women are still navigating invisible hurdles: being “the only one,” working in facilities not built for them, proving they’re strong enough, calm enough, committed enough.

When those barriers compound, women leave. And when women leave, we all lose — skills, perspective, creativity and care.

That’s where GTOs come in.

They’re the connective tissue of the apprenticeship system — linking apprentices, host employers and training providers. This makes GTOs uniquely positioned to lead cultural and structural change across Australia’s trades.

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What the Pillar Does

Foundations & Frameworks supports GTOs to:

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Understand the landscape

Through interviews, co-design workshops, surveys and roundtables that inform Gender Impact Assessments identifying barriers to women’s participation and progression.



Listen deeply

Gathering insight from field officers, host employers and women apprentices themselves.



Design better systems

Co-creating a national Gender Equality Action Plan that gives every GTO practical, evidence-based steps to embed equality

It’s not a one-off project.

It’s an evolving framework for how gender equity becomes standard practice.

Two people in protective eyewear and coveralls work together in an industrial or workshop setting, standing near machinery or equipment.

Pillar One

How Change Happens

The Foundations work is guided by WAVE (Women in Adult & Vocational Education) in partnership with NAEN, Kangan Institute, and the Australian Workers Union.

Together, these partners bring gender expertise, industry know-how and on-the-ground advocacy to one table — translating big ideas into practical tools that work in real workplaces.

This collaboration helps GTOs:

Spot early warning signs of exclusion.

Embed gender-responsive policies.

Equip leaders to talk confidently about equity.

Build systems that don’t depend on one passionate person to keep change alive.

Real Conversations,Real Impact

Across the country, GTOs are engaging in conversations that matter — about safety, respect, and what “fit for purpose” really means on a modern worksite.

They’re challenging myths (“we just can’t find women,” “safety gear doesn’t come in her size”) and replacing them with solutions drawn from data, empathy and experience.

Every conversation adds another brick to the foundation of equality.

Every insight becomes part of a national evidence base that future apprentices — women and men alike — will benefit from.

The Bigger Picture