Jobs for women in manufacturing
About the sector
Manufacturing includes all businesses that physically or chemically transform materials or substances into new products (excluding agriculture and construction). It is a vital industry to the Victorian economy, employing nearly 260,000 people across over 23,000 businesses.
There are a range of well-paid and secure career pathways across the manufacturing industry, including in:
- Mechanical engineering
- Robotics
- Additive manufacturing
- Software engineering
- Design and packaging
- Metal fabrication
Barriers to women in the sector
Victoria’s manufacturing industry has been historically male-dominated. However, today there is a diverse range of roles and opportunities for people of all genders and identities across Victoria’s advanced manufacturing sector.
Outdated stereotypes about who belongs in certain professions can prevent some women and girls from pursuing a career in a male-dominated sector, such as manufacturing. These ideas are damaging and wrong—gender should never be a barrier to employment.
Women from all backgrounds are encouraged to consider a career in manufacturing, including women with disability, multicultural women, older women, and LGBTIQA+ women.
How to get into the sector
There are many programs, events, and initiatives across the state to encourage more women and girls to pursue study and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Career support services are also available to guide you into manufacturing based on your needs and skill level.
Resources and programs
- Trade and Tech Fit Career Expo: Gives female and gender-diverse secondary students a unique and exciting experience of trade and technology industries. Victorian Government’s Trade and Tech Fit career expo page
- Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships: Helps students complete an apprenticeship or traineeship alongside their senior secondary education. Victorian Government’s Head Start page
- VDSS Core Offering: Vocational Education and Training Delivered to School Students (VDSS) includes certificates to help students enter industries like manufacturing. Department of Education’s VDSS: Guidance page
- Tech schools: Part of Victoria’s STEM education centre network. Victorian Government’s Tech Schools page
- Free TAFE programs: Provides a range of TAFE qualifications and short courses to support people entering the workforce. Victorian Government’s Free TAFE page
- Skills and Jobs Centres: Offers free career, employment, and training support services. Victorian Government’s Skills and Jobs Centres page
- Jobs Victoria: Provides free support to people having difficulty finding employment, with advice, mentors, and Work and Learning Centres. Jobs Victoria website
- Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENS): Works with local communities to improve education, training, and employment outcomes for young people. Vic LLENS website
- Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU): Offers information and support for women looking to enter and advance in the manufacturing sector. AMWU website
- South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance: Offers mentorship, skills training, events, and networking for women in South East Melbourne. Women in manufacturing page
- Pathways+ by the Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance: A searchable platform for initiatives increasing women’s participation in manufacturing. Pathways+ website
Victorian Government initiatives
- Trade and Tech Fit career expo: Highlights the exciting world of trade and tech industries, including manufacturing, for young women and gender-diverse people.
- Women in manufacturing – case studies: Discover what it’s like to be a woman working in manufacturing and how the sector is advancing gender equality. View case studies
- Remade for Trades program: An initiative by Tradeswomen Australia addressing financial barriers for women entering trades.