Coffey Testing is honored to be affiliated with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) organisation as a valued corporate member.
NAWIC is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to advocate for change, educate and empower, and connect women through their love and passion for the construction industry. With Chapters in every state and territory, NAWIC is also international, with Chapters located in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada.
The employees and volunteers involved are motivated in championing the core policy of having a minimum of 25% female participation across all of the construction industry by the year of 2025. To achieve this, the organisation has put together the foundations to encourage cultural change.
Above: NAWIC’s core policy stepping stones. Retrieved from NAWICs website: https://www.nawic.com.au/NAWIC/NAWIC/About/.
This partnership is important to Coffey Testing as it will enable us to continue to promote inclusivity and greater female participation in this male-dominated industry.
Coffey Testing is owned and managed by Dawn Watt, who started out with the company as a Construction Materials Technician in 2001 and became the first female CEO in the Geotechnical and Civil Construction Material Testing industry in Australia in 2019. This was an incredibly pivotal moment for not only the business, but for the construction industry as well.
Since Ms. Watt first stepped foot into the Coffey Testing laboratory in Newcastle over 20 years ago, she has overseen changes have really shaped the foundations of Coffey Testing that have resulted the movement of increasing gender diversity and female representation.
In 2003, Ms. Watt was the only female technician at Coffey Testing. 20 years on, Coffey Testing has 40 female lab employees – six are in positions of management across 12 labs, and 40% of the Coffey Testing Management Team are women.
With the current rate of female participation in the construction industry at approximately at 12%, being affiliated with NAWIC is such an important and valued partnership when it comes to the Australian Economy and taking the right steps towards a workplace culture where all genders are accepted.
Coffey Testing are looking forward to helping achieve these goals and to contribute to the change of the construction industry for now and the future.
