When we talk about safety in the workplace, most people immediately think of physical safety: hard hats, PPE, hazard assessments. And while those are critical, they’re just one piece of the puzzle.

Jessica and Jeremy. They may be part of the same graduate intake, attending the same workshops, meeting the same mentors - but their experiences in male-dominated industries are fundamentally different

When we talk about the development of early career women, the focus often lands on the benefits to the individual. But what we don’t talk about nearly enough is what businesses gain from that development.

The 12-Month Impact of Supporting Early Career Women

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18 months after completing the First Five Program, two early-career women at APA Group - Arna and Sophia - reflect on how the program shaped their confidence, career progression, and workplace experiences.

When we talk about gender equality in the workplace, the conversation usually centers around: getting more women into male-dominated industries, or supporting mid-career women through leadership and retention programs.

Reality is that early career women are navigating one of the most complex, under-appreciated, and overlooked challenges in the entire gender equality conversation. If left unaddressed, impacts the whole pipeline.

For many businesses, professional development programs can feel like a long game, something that delivers results years down the track. But when it comes to early career women, the speed of ROI is significantly faster.

For early career women stepping into male-dominated industries, uncertainty is not just a mild discomfort, it can be a significant barrier to confidence, participation, and long-term retention of women in a business.

In past generations, work was just that: work. A job to be done, a paycheck to collect. Today’s ECW view work differently. It’s no longer about tasks completed; it’s about contribution, impact, and a sense of belonging.

Before we can talk about leadership, we need to talk about something much more foundational: confidence, self-advocacy, and the ability to navigate a workplace that wasn’t designed with early career women in mind.

There was a time when workplaces didn’t talk about connection or belonging. You showed up, did your job, and got paid. But for Gen Z, especially early career women, that version of work simply doesn’t cut it.

When it comes to retention and engagement, few things matter more than a clear path forward. For early career women, that path or lack thereof can shape their entire experience in an organisation. 

Trellis Collective recently hosted a series of roundtable discussions across Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, with leaders from industries such as construction, transport, and engineering.

This International Women’s Day, we are taking a moment to reflect, not just on where we have come from, but more importantly, where we’re going. 
The theme of marching forward feels fitting.