The program redefining construction

During the April school holidays, NexGen and CathWest Innovation College hosted 22 young women in a fully-funded Women in Trades program.

- Lauren Fahey

It's easy to say that trades are for everyone. But for many young women, that message still isn’t landing. Not at school, not at home, and definitely not when it comes to landing that first job.

That's where NexGen comes in.

The program with CathWest wasn't a classroom lecture or a careers talk. It was tools, engines, and real-world skills.

It was delivered in a way that made construction feel not only possible, but powerful.

The first day was a deep dive into carpentry, and from the first swing of the hammer, something shifted.

The girls built timber planter boxes from scratch, mastering tools many had never touched before.

More than that, they got a taste of what it feels like to make something with their hands and feel proud of it.

The next day, it was engines and automotive. The girls learned to check oil, change tyres, and understand how machines work.

A tyre-changing competition saw one student change a tyre in 53 seconds flat, with long nails and zero fear. It wasn't just fast. It was fierce.

But the real shift came through the stories. The lived experience. The proof that women are doing this and doing it well.