Thursday 11th November, 2021
Companies from around Australia are throwing their support behind an innovative new platform being launched in Queensland this month set to foster impactful conversations that will change the game for female representation in male-dominated industries.
UNIQ You is a groundbreaking service and online platform that connects high school girls (and their guidance and career officers) with industry advisors drawn from sectors under-represented by women. Thirteen corporate foundation partners, selected from industries that have less than 40% representation of women, have signed on for the pilot program in Queensland: Aurecon, BMD, Boeing, Hutchinson Builders, Origin, Oz Minerals (SA), Seqwater, Shell’s QGC Business, Skedulo, Tesserent, Urban Utilities, Ventia and Yurika.
Female advisors from the thirteen corporate partners across Australia will give their time to provide industry insights to grade 9 to 12 high school girls from 30 schools through personalised one-on-one video calls.
UNIQ You CEO, Tanya Meessmann, said, ‘In order to truly move the dial on gender diversity we need to ensure there is a pipeline of young girls, both inspired and prepared to pursue opportunities in under-represented industries. UNIQ You has partnered with Brisbane’s own global leader in scheduling software, Skedulo, to develop a bespoke platform that harnesses accessible technology to facilitate conversations between industry and students to create genuine and scalable change.
Our service allows for advisers to easily engage with girls across the entire state, whether they are in major cities or small regional and remote areas. By connecting girls with relatable, inspirational female role models across a diverse spectrum of industries, we’re addressing their exact queries, concerns and curiosity around what these career pathways can offer.”
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, the Honourable Shannon Fentiman, has given her support to UNIQ You saying, ‘the Palaszczuk Government has made gender equity a policy priority. We are committed to inspiring and encouraging the community to embrace gender equity in all areas. I applaud UNIQ You for working to improve equality of opportunity for women and girls in the workplace by changing the conversation around what girls are capable of.’
Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer applauded UNIQ You for ensuring equal opportunity for all Queenslanders.
“It is just so important to build partnerships between schools and industry to open students’ eyes to careers they may not have considered,” Minister Farmer said. “UNIQ You is breaking down gender stereotypes and proving young Queensland women can achieve anything. I am a big fan of UNIQ You’s mission to provide girls with real-world knowledge and power that challenges their assumptions about where they want to work.’
Boeing’s Director of Phantom Works International, Emily Hughes, highlighted the power of role models in attracting a diverse pipeline of talent: “Fostering an inclusive workplace includes providing young women with visibility of career paths they may never have considered. ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ is a powerful message. Joining UNIQ You will enable Boeing Australia to highlight our incredible female employees to school-aged girls who may not have considered our industry,” said Hughes.
Urban Utilities CEO, Louise Dudley, said they were pleased to support an innovative program that would help provide girls with wider career choices. “Through this program, we’ll be able to help teenage girls connect with women who are leaders in a range of fields such as engineering, science and technology. We’re also excited about the benefits the partnership will bring Urban Utilities such as helping us to attract and retain talent, encourage new ideas and support innovation” said Dudley.
UNIQ You officially launched on Thursday 11th November. The service aims to connect over 600 girls with 100 female advisors across 10 industries in the first year, with national expansion set firmly in their sights.
Find out more at uniqyou.com.au