Providing opportunities for women leaders
MANY WOMEN IN FORESTRY DON’T HAVE A PATHWAY TO progress through their organisations, says Women & Leadership New Zealand’s Alistair Young.
To facilitate this, Women & Leadership Australia is driving a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across NZ’s forestry sector. This will provide women with grants of between $3,000 and $7,000 to enable participation in a range of leadership development programmes.
“The grants are provisioned for women in traditionally male-dominated sectors including trucking, forestry and to a lesser extent, finance and law, to allow women to progress upward through their organisations,” says Alistair. He adds that the programmes tackle team dynamics, interpersonal communications, leadership and the like, helping build confidence and abilities.
“Logging is an important part of the NZ economy and in fact, any country’s economy. Women who have participated in past programmes have given feedback that these sorts of support networks and channels help. More diversity of women in industry makes that industry stronger, economically and strategically and with a better ability to adapt,” explains Alistair.
Prue Younger, CEO of FICA, agrees saying: “Women are quite new in forestry and I think it’s fantastic that they have included forestry in lifting industry.”
Alistair says women are under-represented in the workplace context, particularly, at senior levels, adding: “By giving women access to these programmes and networking events they can step up and play a greater part in society. Ultimately this works towards a more inclusive and diverse society which is healthier and robust.”
The multifaceted learning approach incorporates expert guidance, peer collaboration, self-analysis, experiential exercises and practical application. Theoretical exploration is complemented with real-world experience to ensure that participants develop the skills needed to confidently deal with future challenges. A combination of executive coaching and peer group mentoring enables participants to develop valuable peer networks, build their self-confidence and hone their leadership skills.
“It doesn’t just start or stop with leadership development programmes either,” says Alistair. “That’s one component. Strong networking and support networks are another. Mentoring is also important for women trying to make their way through the ranks of a male-dominated industry.”
The scholarship funding is provided with the specific intent of providing powerful and effective development opportunities for forestry sector women. The programmes run over a period of 12 months and are designed to fit the schedules of working women.
Information on the course, along with an Expression of Interest form that needs to be submitted prior to March 15, is at www.womenandleadership.co.nz/register.