Young women steel themselves for the future at Women Who Weld events

01 July 2026
Young woman welding in appropriate PPE gear

By Greg Chapman

Central Queensland school girls have ignited a spark for learning while trying their hand at metal fabrication during recent Women Who Weld events hosted at CQUniversity.

Year 10 and 11 students, from Gladstone State High and Calliope State High schools, visited the Gladstone Marina campus from 24-25 June as part of a program held in partnership with Queensland Manufacturing Hubs.

The aim of Women Who Weld is to build gender diversity in the workplace and provide young women with training and job opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

CQU Gladstone Metal Fabrication Teacher Jason Burns said the students tried out Gas Metal Arc Welding.

“To start off the students were put through some safety theory, as well as terminology and technique,” he said.

“Several of the girls were very interested in pursuing a trade by the end of the event.”

Meanwhile, CQU Emerald Metal Fabrication Teacher Andrew Abbas also conducted a Women Who Weld event with school students from Moura the week prior.

These welding workshops were part of the Women Who Weld and Code workshops facilitated by Queensland Manufacturing Hubs in partnership with Queensland Manufacturing Institute through the Gladstone region and Banana Shire. 

Young woman welding in appropriate PPE gear

Queensland Manufacturing Hub’s Principal Capability Development Officer in Gladstone, Jodie Luce said, “Seeing the sense of accomplishment the students had after completing the fabrication of their projects was really fulfilling”.

“Many of these students have never been able to try welding previously and programs such as this provide an opportunity for them to have a hands-on experience, in a safely led environment.  By all accounts the students really enjoyed the day, and we look forward to potentially developing a stage two for the students to continue their learning. 

“We love seeing the benefits brought to our communities through strong collaboration with our industry partners – we are grateful for CQU’s support of this program”, Jodie said.