“Before that, when I had been studying, I was one of five women out of an intake of 200. So, there weren’t many of us,” she said.
“I find it really exciting that we now have so many female engineers in our division.
“We get along very well and are able to bounce ideas off one another.”
Engineers are a crucial part of G-MW’s workforce.
The water corporation manages some of Victoria’s most significant dams, as well as about 6000km of delivery infrastructure.
While in the past there tended to be few women in engineering roles at G-MW and in the engineering industry more broadly, recent years have seen a considerable shift and there are now eight women engineers on the staff.
G-MW managing director Charmaine Quick also has a background in engineering.
Ms Quick said she was pleased to see more diversity in these roles.
“It has been very encouraging to see an increase in women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) roles at G-MW in recent years,” she said.
“We have taken various steps to ensure our workplace is one where everyone can thrive such as increasing the parental leave available to our staff, ensuring we have safety clothing that fits everyone, and providing leadership development opportunities to staff, including People Measures’ Women in Leadership Development Course that several staff have recently completed.
“I’m glad I chose engineering. Growing up on a farm, it was a great choice to use my practical skills and my interest in mathematics.
“I am also excited to see engineering is a career path that more women are choosing.”
Ms Noonan said it was a career choice she was thankful she made. “I still enjoy it,” she said.
“I love problem solving, and as an engineer, there are always new challenges and new things to learn.”
Asset planning coordinator Gemma Payne-Croston joined G-MW about eight months ago and said she had been similarly pleased to see gender diversity in her field.
“At G-MW there are definitely more female engineers than in other organisations I have worked for,” she said.
“It’s a great job, and it’s been really enjoyable learning a new industry at G-MW.”
International Women in Engineering Day is on June 23. A 2022 report by Engineers Australia reported that 13 per cent of Australia’s engineers were female with only 3.8 per cent of them being Australian-born.
17°C