A Victorian government project to fast–track employment in the freight and logistics sector has placed more than 125 candidates in full–time work, with almost 50 per cent of participants being women.
Launched in March 2022, the Freight Industry Training for Jobseekers Project has been successful in filling critical supply chain job vacancies.
In a traditionally male-dominated industry, women represent just 16 per cent of workers in freight and logistics.
Successful candidates from the program met with government, industry leaders and freight operators to celebrate the success of the project and reflect on key learnings.
The initiative has been delivered by Freight Victoria in partnership with the Victorian Transport Association (VTA), with Jobs Victoria funding $2.4 million for the project.
The VTA provided freight industry–specific training programs in critical areas such as heavy vehicle driving, forklift driving and warehousing.
The freight sector contributes $21 billion to the Victorian economy each year and employs more than 260,000 people.
The Victorian government hopes that the success of this project will encourage more women to consider a career in the industry.