Volvo Trucks has partnered with WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited to launch Iron Women – a first-of-its-kind joint training, licensing and job placement program to attract more women into secure transport careers.
Launched on Friday April 10, at CMV Truck & Bus in Derrimut, Melbourne, the Iron Women program aims to build a stronger, more sustainable driver pipeline. The program will support women in gaining a truck licence, connecting with real job opportunities and receiving ongoing mentoring and industry support.
At the program launch, Jane Humphreys, Vice President, People and Culture at Volvo Trucks Australia, said demand for road freight is surging. With so many roles unfilled and an ageing workforce that will transition to retirement over coming years, the Iron Women program provides an opportunity to get more women into truck driving roles.
Australia is facing a significant shortage of truck drivers, with women still representing only a small share of the workforce.
After running a successful Iron Women pilot, this newly launched program aims to build a stronger, more sustainable driver pipeline.
“Between four amazing and very different organisations, we’ve come together to focus on how we attract, support, educate, train and deploy women into truck driving roles around the country,” said Jane.
Wodonga TAFE is now part of Northern Victoria Institute of TAFE. CEO Phil Paterson said at the launch, “This is an industry led initiative. It’s not just about getting that licence, it is about the flexibility of the training model, it’s about the inclusivity of the training model, and trying to bring availability and equity to that training as well.”
As Phil continued, “The Iron Women Program has always been a strong program but it will now be stronger. It’s about the full journey, it’s about industry and providing opportunities for people to get secure employment in transport as opposed to a licence – which is only really a quarter of the way there.”
According to the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Citirs, Australia’s road freight demand is set to grow by 80 per cent by 2030 – and some reports indicate that the industry is already short of more than 28,000 truck drivers.
This shortage is projected to worsen as an aging workforce moves towards retirement and too few younger people enter the profession.
Women remain significantly under-represented in truck driving roles, making up just 4.4 pe cent of truck drivers.
Research commissioned by Volvo Group Australia has identified the major barriers as accessing the right licenses (36 per cent), concerns about physical strength (34 per cent), and a “blokey” culture (33 per cent). However, the biggest barrier is that women have never even considered the industry as a career option (76 per cent).
Jane added, “The most significant barriers to entry for women are simply not thinking about truck driving, or our great sector and industry, as an option.
“We know that we’re essentially missing out on 50 per cent of the community and the population by not investing in that talent pool and attracting women into the industry.”
The new partnership brings together Volvo Trucks, WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited to remove these barriers and create clear pathways into work. The program will support women to gain a truck licence, connect with real job opportunities and receive ongoing mentoring and industry support.
The new partnership directly addresses industry barriers by:
Providing targeted training and licensing pathways for women.
Ensuring wraparound support, job placement and mentoring, so women not only gain licences but enter and stay in meaningful, secure work.
Creating a scalable, repeatable model that can be used with regional and metro employers across the freight and logistics sector.
WomenCan Australia supports women to connect to new career pathways – including women who have been out of the workforce due to caring responsibilities, family violence, migration and settlement, or other barriers to education and training. These women bring lived experience, determination and potential that the workforce needs. Through this partnership, these women will have access to accredited training through Wodonga TAFE and strong industry connections and mentoring through Transport Women Australia Limited and Volvo Trucks.
“Right now, Australia simply does not have enough qualified drivers to keep our freight moving, and we cannot solve that challenge if we keep drawing from the same small talent pool,” said Jane.
“By partnering with WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited, we are opening the road to secure, skilled transport careers for more women and building a stronger, more sustainable driver workforce for the long term.
“This partnership aims to set a new standard for what an inclusive, professional and sustainable trucking industry should look like,” Jane continued.
“A more equitable and diverse driver workforce introduces new skills, new perspectives and more targeted support for the people who keep our trucks on the road. By investing in this partnership, we’re helping reimagine a transport industry that is fairer, more respectful and more sustainable for everyone.”
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