WORKING WOMEN: Sarah White (sitting) and Llara Milne learn from Cabonne council employee Margot Brown what it is like to work on their local council. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 1109sgdaughters
GIRLS across Cabonne yesterday got a taste of working in local government as part of Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
Career opportunities in local government were highlighted as the 10 girls participated in running council’s services such as daycare, community transport program, customer inquiries and record keeping.
Engineering and environmental services were also area the girls proved to be very interested in.
Sarah White enjoyed taking the opportunity to learn about life after school.
“I wanted to learn about what work my mum does,” Sarah said.
“It’s a bit harder than school, more thinking.”
The event was an initiative by Central New South Wales Councils (CENTROC) as part of the Year of Women in Local Government.
Cabonne council’s director of engineering and technical Services Rob Staples said Cabonne’s local council chamber was a great place to showcase diverse career paths to young women.
“I think there’s a lot of people particularly in schools who don’t appreciate the number of job opportunities there are in local government,” Mr Staples said.
“There is a high level of females who work here, especially in environmental services and customer services, and it’s probably more than 50 per cent.”
The day also opened up the girls’ eyes to democracy and the possibility of representing women and their community on their local government.
Statistics show women are increasingly taking up work and participation at their local council.
In the 2004 elections one-third of all candidates who ran for local government were women, and over a quarter of the elected councillors are women.
This has increased since 1987 when just 16 per cent of women stood for local government elections.