Be Inspired!

Sponsoring an award or scholarship at your local TAFE or University is a great way to raise your organisation’s profile with future talented employees. We’ve showcased a few Awards below and are happy to hear of others. Send your contributions to actionnews@eowa.gov.au

>>> WALTER Construction Group Prize
Winner: Michelle Baran

At 22, Michelle Baran is already one step ahead of her fellow graduates having completed her Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and is due to finish her second degree in Business Management at the end of the year. Her experience already includes assisting in the construction of Brisbane ’s Goodwill Bridge , which Baran says she enjoyed immensely.

Her interest in civil engineering, she explains, is due to a number of factors. “I always loved science and maths at school and engineering has sort of been a combination of the best of both worlds. Plus, it runs in the family. My dad is a civil engineer for the Department of Main Roads.”

Ms Baran concedes that her entry into the engineering industry won’t be as daunting as for women in previous generations. “Engineering has become a field where woman have the potential to provide invaluable support, advice and leadership at all levels” Baran said.

Presenter of the Award, WALTER Construction Group Construction Manager, Greg Packer, said two of the last three recipients have been women. “It’s fantastic. The industry has evolved markedly since the world’s engineering sector had women contributing to it.”

The WALTER Construction Group Prize recipient is chosen for excellence in engineering studies as well as involvement in extracurricular activities.

Further information: Greg Packer, WALTER Construction Group, (07) 3369 8111.

>>> Outstanding Women in Non-Traditional Areas of Work and Study 2002

Siiri Mesa was exploring traditional village music in South Africa when she heard the news: she'd been short-listed as a finalist in the annual awards for Outstanding Women in Non-traditional Areas.

A lover of world music, Siiri’s passion has led her across the globe to work with Yalla! (traditional Arabic music), the Pheasant Pluckers (American bluegrass music), Klezmeritis (Jewish Klezmer music), Jigzag (Sydney-based Celtic folk music) and Valanga Khoza (South African music).

“It is important to record music with exceptional clarity and spirit,” says Siiri. “But my real goal is to give that music a deeper dimension by understanding where it comes from both physically and culturally.”

While she watched vervet monkeys cavort last year, she filled in her nomination form and later, as she scaled the heights of Mount Victoria , a Melbourne-based judging panel interviewed her.

But you don't need an exotic locale to be nominated for the 2002 awards!

Previous finalists and winners have studied and worked in farming, multimedia, management, engineering, scientific research, finance, technical trades, butchery, the automotive industry and many more.

They have worked in universities and city offices; on ships and planes and trucks and trains; on Antarctic bases, down mines and in deserts.

They have been apprentices, trainees, undergraduates, postgraduates, employed for six months, employed for twenty years and they have been self-employed.

Like Siiri, all have been outstanding because of their passion, drive and achievements.

Nominations

Hosting the eighth successive annual awards for Outstanding Women in Non-traditional Areas, the National Centre for Gender and Cultural Diversity in partnership with IBM, the National Australia Bank and Swinburne University of Technology, invites you to acknowledge the achievements of outstanding women who work and study in non-traditional areas.

Winners will attend a gala Presentation Dinner at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne on 1 August (airfares and accommodation paid for), and will receive $1000 each.

For details of all nine categories (covering both work and study) and to download a nomination form, visit our web site at www.swin.edu.au/corporate/ncgcd and follow the prompts to Awards. Otherwise, contact Shirley Dickinson at sdickinson@swin.edu.au or on (03) 9214 5570.

>>> ACCI National Work and Family Awards 2002

Is your organisation a family-friendly workplace? Become part of the Work and Family Hall of Fame!

The 10th anniversary of the Awards, 2002 provides a great opportunity for organisations to be recognised for their family-friendly practices. The Awards are open to any workplace – large or small, public or private, with a number of Award categories.

The Awards are facilitated by the federal Department of Employment and Workplaces Relations and the Council for Equal Opportunity in Employment Ltd and sponsored by AMP Ltd.

For more information, visit ACCI National Work and Family Awards 2002.