Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Australia has announced its founding membership of the Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) Alliance.
EWIT is a not-for-profit organisation focused on increasing women’s participation in the Australian manufacturing, construction, and renewable energy sectors.
Its goal is to raise the percentage of women in skilled trades from 3 per cent to 30 per cent by 2030. The alliance was created to enable organisations of all sizes to support EWIT’s objectives.
Alliance members will participate in initiatives aimed at promoting skilled trades to women and girls, including tool skills days, talent attraction programs, school outreach, and participation in expos, conferences, and advocacy efforts.
“We are delighted that Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, one of Australia’s leading consumer goods companies and a significant contributor to the country’s manufacturing sector, has joined the EWIT Alliance as a founding member,” said Hacia Atherton, founder and CEO, EWIT.
“CCEP join a select group of organisations demonstrating their support of a more diverse and inclusive skilled trade workplace, while helping to address the skills shortages that have plagued the manufacturing, construction and renewable energy industries.”
Linda Leo, vice president Customer Service and Supply Chain, CCEP Australia said the announcement demonstrated the company’s focus on continuing to improve overall gender composition in industry,.
“Particularly in male dominated professions within our business; and to support improved gender composition across the manufacturing sector more broadly,” she said.
“Becoming a founding member of the EWIT Alliance builds on our existing relationship with EWIT, whose targets closely align with our own goals, and we look forward to partnering together to champion diversity initiatives that contribute to the advancement of women in skilled trades.”
CCEP Quality Assurance team member, Bolor Erdenekhuu, is an example of the successful work being undertaken by EWIT to promote the benefits of a skilled trade to women.
“I am a tangible example of how programs like EWIT can effectively support women entering skilled trades,” she said.
“EWIT not only provide technical skills but also build confidence and open pathways for women in industries where they are traditionally underrepresented.
“Programs like EWIT not only benefit individual participants but help businesses address skills shortages and improve workforce diversity.”
A key pillar of CCEP’s ‘This is Forward’ global sustainability action plan is to champion inclusion, challenge inequality and support economic mobility.
Focus areas include enhancing the company’s gender diversity and fostering the growth of emerging female talent as it strives to meet its 2030 goals of having one-third of its workforce be women and 45 per cent of management positions held by women.
To find out more about CCEP’s sustainability action plan visit: www.cocacolaep.com/au/sustainability