A Women in Cranes and Lifting day held in Campbelltown has shown attendees the breadth of opportunity available in the sector.
By Lauren Fahey, executive director at NexGen.
When you ask a group of women what comes to mind when they think of cranes, hoists or dogging, you usually get: “no idea”, “sounds dangerous”, or “isn’t that a job for men?”
So, we decided to change that.
In November 2025, NexGen teamed up with Workforce Australia – Local Jobs Program (Sydney South West), Incolink’s Women in Construction Program and Tower Crane Training (TCT) to host a Women in Cranes and Lifting day in Campbelltown. It was a hands-on, boots-on kind of day, designed to shine a spotlight on a side of construction too few women ever see.
Participants got to dive headfirst into dogging signals, hoists, crane operations and the teamwork and precision you need when you’re lifting the skyline. Women already working in the industry helped with the training, with the purpose of showing attendees the skills, the opportunity and that they belong there.
For many, it was the first time these women could see themselves in high-vis, hard hats on, standing in front of the machinery not as spectators but as operators. That kind of exposure matters more than we think. You can’t imagine yourself in a job if you’ve never seen someone who looks like you doing it.
Nearly half of the event was filmed by A Current Affair, which featured Incolink career advisor for women in construction Jessica Holz and hoist operator Sallie Oxborough, one of the women on site and on the panel. In her interview with A Current Affair, Holz said crane and hoist operators can earn up to $150,000 a year.
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Speaking to attendees on the day, Oxborough said, “You’ve gotta get out there, you’ve gotta show them you’re keen.”
That hit harder than any lecture ever could. Because it’s not just a job; it’s a pathway out of under-employment and into a skilled trade with good earning potential.
Cranes and lifts aren’t “just men’s work”. They’re big jobs, smart jobs, skilled jobs, jobs where women can excel. We’re not only introducing women to new career options. We’re shifting culture. We’re helping fill critical labour shortages with talent that’s been ignored for too long. We’re building the next generation of the construction industry.