Building Women's Careers Program

The Building Women’s Careers Program will establish partnership projects to drive systemic structural and cultural change.

About the Building Women’s Careers Program

The Australian Government is investing $60.6 million in the Building Women’s Careers (BWC) Program to drive systemic structural and cultural change in training and work environments critical to the Future Made in Australia initiative.

The BWC Program will fund both large-scale partnership projects, and smaller, place-based partnerships, to advance structural and cultural change to improve women’s access to flexible, safe and inclusive training and work opportunities in the key male-dominated industries and sectors of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital and technology.

Grant opportunity

The BWC Program includes $54.5 million delivered through grant funding for partnership projects. The projects will focus on creating scalable, high-quality, and inclusive training and employment opportunities for women and will be delivered through partnerships between:

  • industry
  • employers
  • registered unions
  • training organisations
  • community organisations.

Applications for the Building Women’s Careers Program Grant Opportunity are now open!

Visit business.gov.au to submit your digital application. Grant Opportunity Guidelines have information on eligibility, partnership and application requirements, selection criteria and required attachments and should be reviewed before applying.

Please Note: Section 4.2.3 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines has been updated on 14 November 2024.

Applications close 5 pm (AEDT) on 2 December 2024. 

For queries or more information about the grant opportunity, contact 13 28 46, web chat or the online enquiry form on business.gov.au.

BWC Program Update

  • New live BWC Program information session Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 1:00pm (AEST)
  • FAQs updated 25 November 2024
  • BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines Addenda published 14 November 2024.

BWC Program information session Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 1:00pm (AEST)

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) invites you to dial into a live information session on Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 1:00 pm (AEST).

Join us to hear about the Grant Opportunity Guidelines Addenda to clarify Stream One partnership requirements, the updated FAQs addressing questions received to date, and raise any further questions you may have.

If you are unable to attend, the session will be recorded and made available afterwards for viewing on the Building Women's Careers Program webpage.

REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Updated 25 November 2024

FAQ's have been updated to clarify: 

  • the meaning of ‘registered union’ referred to throughout the BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines
  • the meaning of the part of Section 4.5 of the BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines: ‘have adverse findings and/or rulings from the Fair Work Commission and/or the Fair Work Ombudsman’.

We encourage you to visit the FAQs page on the Building Women's Careers Program website regularly to view all updates.

BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines – Addenda 14 November 2024

The below Addenda to clarify Stream One partnership requirements was made to Section 4.2.3 of the BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines on 14 November 2024.

Section 4.2.3 Stream One project partnership requirements:

The Stream One project partnership must include a minimum of 4 project partner organisations (including the Stream One lead applicant), consisting of at least one of each of the following:

  • an employer
  • a registered union
  • a TAFE or not-for-profit registered training organisation (RTO)
  • a community organisation or registered charity or not-for-profit organisation.

For Stream One additional project partners (excluding the Stream One lead applicant) may be one of the following:

  • an industry-based employer/s within the construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and/or digital and technology industries/sectors
  • an industry body within the construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital or technologies industries
  • a registered union
  • a TAFE or not-for-profit RTO
  • a not-for-profit organisation
  • a GTO
  • a local government body
  • a community organisation
  • a registered charity
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006,
  • an ACCO
  • a social enterprise.

The project partnership members (including the Stream One lead applicant) must collectively employ more than 1000 employees within the construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and/or digital and technology industries/sectors.

This update should be read in conjunction with Section 4.4 of the BWC Program Grant Opportunity Guidelines which states:

Once the minimum project partnership eligibility requirements are met, applicants may also partner with other entities.

Please visit business.gov.au to view the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Next steps

Finalise your partnerships now

The BWC Program is only open to applicants jointly delivering project partnerships, so reach out across your networks and start finalising your partnerships now.

BWC Program Marketplace

DEWR has established the BWC Program Marketplace to assist organisations to make connections with others who are interested in the grant opportunity.

Note that use of the Marketplace is entirely voluntary and is not a requirement for applying for the BWC grant opportunity. You will not be unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by choosing to use, or not use, the Marketplace.

Submit your digital application on business.gov.au

Applicants can now register on business.gov.au to commence a digital application through the portal. It is anticipated that projects funded under the BWC Program will be announced in early 2025.

BWC Program Information Session

Thank you to everyone who attended the Building Women’s Careers Program information sessions held by DEWR.

The video recordings and transcripts are now available for viewing.

28 October 2024

31 October 2024

Frequently Asked Questions - updated

Frequently Asked Questions are available for more information on the grant opportunity. They have been updated in response to new questions received. 

Women in Male-Dominated Trades Grants Program

Funding from the Women in Male-Dominated Trades Grants Program has been reallocated to the BWC Program.

This brings clear benefits, given the synergies between the 2 programs and the overall increase in funding now available through the BWC Program.

Government priorities and programs

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations consulted with stakeholders in July and August 2024 to inform the design of the guidelines to implement the program, which complements other government priorities and programs, including:

More information

For queries or more information about the grant opportunity, contact 13 28 46 or by web chat or through the online enquiry form on business.gov.au.