Mentoring program grows momentum for role of women in T&L

By Jennifer Perry

The business case for encouraging female participation in transport and logistics (T&L) is a strong one; over three quarters of the workforce are male.

Running for the last three years and set to run again in 2010, WMF is the largest, most effective mentoring program for women in the T&L industry. The program targets the retention and development of women in  T&L and assists women in developing self-confidence, key skills and networking structures so they can take the “next step” in their careers.

Based on Emberin’s My Mentor program, the only one of its kind globally, WMF has seen over 300 women representing 100 T&L companies participate in the program.

It was previously run by the Australian Logistics Council (ALC), however, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTA) has this year taken over the reins. in 2010, the  Federal Government will endorsed WMF for the first time.

WMF developer and coordinator Melinda Buker believes that employment opportunities for women in T&L have grown as the industry has become increasingly automated and global supply chains are being developed, but there continues to be limited opportunities for women to move up the ranks into senior roles.

Emberin director and former Telstra business woman of the year Maureen Frank said that only 10% of people in senior management in Australia are women and "this is no different for T&L".

In support of women in T&L the Federal Government is offering a subsidy of $220 for the course for the first 100 applications. The first program will commence on September 23, with registrations closing on September 15.

CILTA, along with support of ALC, is proposing to run a pilot for a men’s leadership program for gender diversity for a group of senior male executives in local T&L companies in Western Australia this year. The pilot will be based on Emberin’s Mastering Gender Leadership program.

Frank believes programs like WMF are only part of the gender diversity equation, and “changing men’s mindsets” is the fundamental issue.

“If 90% of the decision-makers in this country are men and they are the ones that are going to present the opportunities to women – if we don’t shift their mindsets then we’re never going to win this equation.”

Buker said the proposed program for men will challenge managers to consider the business case of having more women in senior roles.

“Not just to increase the bottom line, but to increase innovation, creativity, productivity as well as meeting the community’s expectation of wanting to have equal dealings with women and men in an organisation,” Buker said.

Frank believes T&L is an industry that is “ripe for change".

Compared with other industries such as mining, she said men in T&L were open to the gender diversity equation.

“These men want to know what it is they can do to change this,” she said.

For more information on WMF visit: www.cilta.com.au