The stevedoring giant is attempting to reverse its image as a male-dominated organisation beset by militant union conflict
The stevedoring company Patrick Corporation is normally in the news for its battles with the militant Maritime Union at its Port Botany operations.
But today Patrick Corporation was on the front foot with an announcement of a proactive diversity and inclusion program.
Gender diversity within the stevedoring industry is one of Patrick Corporation’s greatest challenges. Indeed, the company has a long history as a male-dominated organisation due to a shortage of female applicants and the limited number of women with strong industry experience.
Consequently, Patrick’s new WILpower program is a two-year structured cadetship which aims to deliver on-the-job learning in operational roles for “talented women who may lack industry experience”.
The program includes a full-time, competitive salary, dedicated onboarding to build skills and internal networks, a tailored tertiary qualification designed in partnership with a university, job rotations across a broad spectrum of roles, individualised mentoring and ongoing support.
Patrick CEO, Michael Jovicic said that Patrick believes that the WILpower Management Cadetship is a “step in the right direction for encouraging women into the organisation”.
“We believe that by providing a program such as WILpower, we can encourage greater representation of women in operational management roles across all areas of our business, and the industry as a whole,” said Jovicic.
“The WILpower program is a fresh approach to our diversity strategy within Patrick and we have been fortunate to have encouraged some exceptionally talented women into Patrick as a result of the first iteration of WILpower.”
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Indeed, the WILpower Management Cadetship will provide ten women with the opportunity to develop the skills required to enter operational management roles in Patrick.
Elizabeth Pinkerton, safety and environment manager at Patrick’s East Swanson Dock in Melbourne, was a participant in the previous WILpower Management Cadetship and believes that the program has been responsible for driving advancement in her career.
“The highlight of the WILpower cadetship has been learning about the dynamic nature of the stevedoring industry, where no two days are the same and every day has a new challenge and opportunity.
“I have found the WILpower program is perfect for people who are looking for a new challenge or a change from their current career.”
Patrick has announced that applications are open for their 2018 WILpower Management Cadetship for the accelerated development leadership program which is designed for women with an interest in logistics build a career in the industry.
The program will operate nationally with two roles located at each of the Patrick sites, including: Port Botany in Sydney, Fisherman Islands in Brisbane, Fremantle in Western Australia, and Melbourne’s East Swanson Dock and St Kilda National Operations and Commercial Centre.