Volvo Trucks Australia, WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia have launched a joint training, licensing and job placement program aimed at attracting more women into secure transport careers and build a stronger, more sustainable driver pipeline.
After running a successful pilot program called ‘Iron Women’, the partnership – formally launched at CMV Truck & Bus at Derrimut – aims to remove barriers and create clear pathways into work for women.
Women remain significantly under-represented in truck driving roles, making up just 4.4 per cent of the driver pool. Research commissioned by Volvo Group Australia identified the major barriers as accessing the right licences (36 per cent), concerns about physical strength (34 per cent), and a ‘blokey’ culture (33 per cent). However, the biggest barrier is that women have never even considered the industry as a career option (76 per cent).
The new partnership directly addresses industry barriers by: providing targeted training and licensing pathways for women; ensuring wraparound support, job placement and mentoring; and creating a scalable, repeatable model that can be used with regional and metro employers across the freight and logistics sector.
WomenCan Australia supports women to connect to new career pathways — including women who have been out of the workforce due to caring responsibilities, family violence, migration and settlement, or other barriers to education and training.
These women bring lived experience, determination and potential that the workforce needs. Through this partnership, these women will have access to accredited training through Wodonga TAFE and strong industry connections and mentoring through Transport Women Australia and Volvo Trucks.
“Right now, Australia simply does not have enough qualified drivers to keep our freight moving, and we cannot solve that challenge if we keep drawing from the same small talent pool,” says Jane Humphreys, Vice President, People and Culture, Volvo Trucks Australia, citing data showing the industry is already short of more than 28,000 truck drivers, a gap that is projected to worsen as an aging workforce moves towards retirement and too few younger people enter the profession.
“By partnering with WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited, we are opening the road to secure, skilled transport careers for more women and building a stronger, more sustainable driver workforce for the long term.”
The partnership also aims to set a new standard for what an inclusive, professional and sustainable trucking industry should look like, she adds.
“A more equitable and diverse driver workforce introduces new skills, new perspectives and more targeted support for the people who keep our trucks on the road. By investing in this partnership, we’re helping reimagine a transport industry that is fairer, more respectful and more sustainable for everyone,” Humphreys says.