Steel Chicks

Save the date!

Join us on 10 June for ‘Work / Life Balance: Truth or Myth?’, a Steel Chicks panel event exploring the realities of building a career while you’re being a mum and a woman. We’ll hear from three women across different leadership roles sharing honest insights on what balance really looks like, the trade-offs, and what’s actually possible.

Whether you’re navigating your own career path, thinking about starting a family, or already juggling both, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendars!

📅 10 June
📍 Location: TBC
🎟️ More details coming soon

✨ Meet our newest Steel Chicks as they launch into work! ✨

It’s been a pleasure working with this amazing group of women as they explore industry career pathways and learn the fundamentals of steel manufacturing and fabrication!

Alongside the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and Apprenticeship Careers Australia, our founder Maria Mavrikos has had the privilege of working with the team during the pilot delivery of Steel Chicks’ Launch into Work program. During the last month, she’s been helping participants prepare to work in male-dominated and high-pressure environments with professionalism and resilience, and to connect classroom learning with practical applications in the workplace.

Last week, the team stepped inside a live steel fabrication environment at Structural Challenge, touring the facility from office to factory floor to see machinery, digital modelling and detailing, and CNC and plasma programming in action. They’ve been seeing firsthand how modern fabrication workshops integrate technology with trade skills, and learning how ideas become structures in real-time production. Other key parts of their journey have included exploring health and safety protocols, building confidence, and gaining a realistic, informed view of the steel industry—its opportunities, its expectations, and the standards required to thrive in it.

We’re incredibly proud of the commitment, courage and growth this group has shown. As they move into work experience and the next stage of their careers, we wish them every success—may this be the beginning of long and rewarding careers in steel! 💪 👏✨

The Steel Chicks Mentoring Program is back—and EOIs are now open! 🌟

Whether you’re looking to grow your career, build confidence, or share your experience with the next generation, our program connects emerging talent with experienced mentors across the steel industry.

📌 Aspiring mentees: submit your EOI here → https://www.steelchicks.com/pages/mentoring-program-eoi-mentees

📌 Experienced mentors: submit your EOI here → https://www.steelchicks.com/pages/mentoring-program-eoi-mentors

Learn more about the program and how it can help you develop skills, confidence, and leadership here → https://www.steelchicks.com/pages/mentoring-program

As we wrap up an incredible year of growth, connection and industry impact, we want to send out a heartfelt thanks our community, partners and supporters for everything you’ve helped us achieve in 2025. Your commitment continues to shape opportunities for women in steel and strengthen the future of our sector.

Steel Chicks will be closed from 19 December and will reopen on 12 January. We look forward to returning refreshed and ready for an even bigger year of programs, events and pathways in 2026!

Wishing you a safe and restful break. See you in the new year ✨

A big thanks to everyone who came to our AI seminar on 28 November ✨

When our original speaker became unavailable at the last minute, we were incredibly fortunate to have Strategic Futurist Marcus Barber step in to deliver an engaging and thought-provoking session, To AI or Not to AI. His insights into the good and bad of AI—and how to better leverage it—gave our community plenty to reflect on, and it was a pleasure to see our little community so inspired and energised while they workshopped. A huge thanks to Marcus for his sharing his valuable work with us! You can read more about it here: https://lufg.com.au/marcusbarber/

Thanks also to Talent Blue (https://www.talentblue.com.au), our amazing event partner who helped us deliver this opportunity to all you Steel Chicks; and to our fab photographer Georgia (https://georgiagouvalari.com.au), whose brilliant pics are available on our page and here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15pFckOPz5Wj9H5g5zeAe6KzBILYVILq2?usp=share_link

A huge congratulations to our friends and partners at Doogood Australia on being awarded Excellence in Innovation (VRF) and Casey Business of the Year 2025! 👏✨

This is a brilliant achievement and a reflection of the leadership, integrity and drive that Brad, Nathan and the whole Doogood team bring to the industry. Their commitment to innovation and doing things the right way continues to set the benchmark for excellence across manufacturing.

We’re also incredibly proud of the Doogood women who represent Steel Chicks so beautifully—your energy, professionalism and participation strengthen our community, and we’re very grateful to have you with us!

Thank you to Doogood for your ongoing support of Steel Chicks and for championing opportunities for women in the sector. Congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition—we can’t wait to see what’s ahead 👏✨

You can read more about Doogood’s win here: https://businessincasey.com.au/news/casey-business-awards-2025-winners-announced

8 DAYS TO GO until You + AI: Future-Proofing Your Career in the Intelligence Era with Caroline Kennedy ✨

AI is transforming every industry, but your most powerful edge is still human. Join us for a practical, energising session where former nine-figure CEO and AI Leadership Strategist Caroline Kennedy cuts through the noise to show what’s really changing at work, how to stay confident and relevant, and how to lead with clarity in the intelligence era.

Caroline is a trusted advisor to executives across Australia, a two-time Telstra Business Women’s Awards honouree, and author of Lead Beyond 2030: The Nine Skills You Need to Intensify Your Leadership Impact.

During this session, you’ll gain:

– A personalised reflection tool you can apply immediately
– Real-world insights into where AI is working well—and where it isn’t
– Strategies to turn uncertainty into confidence and action
Thanks to our event partner Talent Blue, enjoy a light lunch and drinks while connecting with other women in steel, on:

🗓 Friday 28 November 2025
🕕 12.30–3.30 pm
📍 Holiday Inn, 50–52 McCrae St, Dandenong 3175
🎟 Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/DGWSX

You can learn more about Caroline’s work here: https://www.carolinekennedy.com.au