Career Revive case study - Daracon Group

Addressing the ‘how’ on the journey towards DEI

Daracon Group is a family-owned business providing integrated civil construction services. Participation in the Workforce Australia - Career Revive program has supported Daracon to focus on equity, diversity and inclusion.

Through their participation in the Career Revive program, Daracon were aiming to:

• seek creative solutions to attract and retain women who may not otherwise look to work in the civil construction industry
• provide career opportunities and support for women already employed by the business and
• review the current approach to flexible work, upskilling, training and onsite operating models.

As part of the Career Revive initiative, Daracon has:

• developed communication strategies to promote their business as an exciting employer for women. They have profiled stories about the workforce and promoted their involvement in activities aiming to increase female participation. These profiles can be found on their website, LinkedIn and within industry networks and forums.
• adjusted the language in their job advertisements to remove gendered terminology and replace restrictive applicant criteria with desired attitudes and mindsets.
• provided information on their employee offering and value proposition, and
• researched how to change their approach to structuring and resourcing jobs and projects, such as allowing for an additional budget to upskill employees. They also spoke with the Career Revive business community to explore opportunities that will increase female representation in their business and the wider construction industry.

The small changes made to their job advertisements and external communication helped to recruit several women into positions including labour, plumbing, plant operation, quarry and admin roles. Two new employees include women who have changed industries following a career break, as well as a mature age returner previously employed by Daracon. Most of the new female employees have flexible working arrangements, which is proof of business investment in this space.