A new scholarship specifically for women in the construction industry has been launched by Site Safe.

The scholarship, which will fully fund study towards the Certificate in Construction Site Safety, was announced at the recent Women in Construction Forum in Christchurch.

Site Safe Chief Executive Alison Molloy said the event was the perfect place to announce the launch of the scholarship.

“This is for women who want to be the best that they can be and become leaders who inspire others to see the benefit of a safe, healthy workplace.”

Stephanie Cerpa, who received a general Site Safe scholarship in 2015 and is now a Health and Safety Manager at Contract Construction, said gaining the certificate had undoubtedly helped advance her career.

“It meant that I got where I wanted to be sooner rather than later. Getting the scholarship was so exciting because it gave me a high-quality health and safety qualification which means employers know that I’ve had that core training. The courses I took for the certificate were relevant to the challenges that I face all the time, and the trainers were really passionate about what they were teaching.”

Cerpa was one of the more than 120 women who attended the successful event, where women from around the country gathered to share their experiences and discuss ways to improve working conditions.

Roofer TJ Daly said she hoped the forum would help her meet other women facing the same challenges.

“I’d like to see more events like this to help women find other women. If you know the issues, it helps to talk to other people about it.”

Structural Engineer Honor Columbus said it was exciting to see so many women getting into the industry.

“Construction has it challenges at times, but working in the industry is really rewarding and satisfying, so it’s worth it. I love my job!”   

Scholarship applications open 1 July 2017 and close on 1 September 2017. Go to www.sitesafe.org.nz for more information.