A new adult education program pioneered by Winslow Constructors and Mirvac is expected to create up to 1000 local jobs in a new community in Melbourne’s rapidly growing northern suburbs.

Winslow has partnered with Mirvac and not-for-profit education provider Prace to launch the program at the 465-hectare Olivine community in Donnybrook.

The Civil Construction Labourer program is expected to create up to 1000 local jobs throughout the development of the Olivine community to deliver lifelong learning and local employment opportunities for Melbourne’s growing northern growth corridor.

The program will be launched on Monday, November 29, 2021, at Olivine with the Minister for Higher Education and Training, The Honourable Gayle Tierney MP, Winslow Managing Director Dino Strano, Mirvac Head of Residential Stuart Penklis, City of Whittlesea Administrator Peita Duncan, and Prace chief executive Paddy McVeigh, in attendance.

The Civil Construction Labourer program is part of a range of vocational and pre-employment training and TAFE pathways.

Winslow Constructors’ Executive General Manager Rohan Davidson said the company aims to “close the loop” between education and employment, providing pre-employment training for the civil construction industry and direct pathways to employment with Winslow.

“The adult learning program has been designed to ensure students receive relevant training and experience, providing the best possible opportunities for future employment in the civil construction industry,” Mr Davidson said.

“Winslow Constructors has committed to delivering up to 15 local jobs for the first intake of students and we expect this to grow, with the civil construction industry experiencing growth within the area and an existing lack of pre-qualified personnel for recruitment.”

Winslow’s Learning and Development Business Partner Caden Harte said the Civil Construction Labourer program gives those taking the course an opportunity to gain employment within the Winslow Group, or with a company in its supply chain

“There have been a range of pre-employment style programs offered for civil construction over the years, and where appropriate Winslow has supported these efforts by offering employment to suitable program graduates,” Mr Harte said.

“With Prace and the Pre-Employment Hub at Olivine, Winslow has had the unique opportunity to co-design the offering from the ground up, to help prepare workers specifically to work on Winslow sites, either as a direct hire through one of our companies or via our supply chain.

“This has resulted in a unique offering, with training aimed specifically at employability skills that are not typically taught in the white card or other industry preparation style courses.

“This same course of study also prepares students to transition naturally into the Certificate III Civil Construction, which provides a strong base for them to continue to build their careers with Winslow.”

Winslow continues to offer opportunities to all members of the community within which we operate.

And supporting women is part of the Winslow Way.

Our partnerships to provide employment and career opportunities has seen Winslow collaborate with businesses training and upskilling women.

Sindhusri “Sri” Nimmala came to Melbourne from India four years ago to complete her Masters in Civil Engineering at Central Queensland University.

She spent her first seven months as a graduate working in a bottle shop because she couldn’t find work as an engineer until Sheforce connected her with Winslow Infrastructure.

Sheforce is a recruitment and labour hire business that offers training and upskilling women to find opportunities in construction.

Sri now works in the civil construction industry as a graduate engineer with Winslow, where she is working on major projects.

“It’s not a normal job, it’s my dream job that I’ve pictured for many years,” Sri said.

“Coming into my exact field, I’m so happy. I’ve just been made permanent too, I’m so happy.”

Sri knows how hard it can be for international students to find work in their chosen field, while seeing more women entering construction emboldens her.

Working in an industry she has coveted for so long is so thrilling Sri said she bounces out of bed each morning.

“I love working with everyone, and I’m loving what I’m doing - this is what I’ve dreamt of for many years,” Sri says.

Some lessons are more impactful when they are hands on.

At Winslow, we lean heavily into the experiential learning model, favouring hands-on experience and on-the-job learning where possible for the development of our teams.

Dioramas are a learning tool created to tabletop working on our sites.

It is a complete scenario, representing a complete aspect of the learning objective. It is three dimensional and it is hands on.

In this case the learning objective is to determine what safety controls are required to make the site safe and how they should be situated.

Our trainers can also quickly change the conditions of the scenario to showcase different situations and how they should be handled.

A recent request for asset protection training from Winslow’s National HSE Manager – Residential came with an extra requirement: “make it impactful, and make it hands on”.

The result?

A 1/50th scale diorama of a site showcasing trenching next to overhead powerlines.

The diorama comes with accompanying training aimed at identifying hazards, assessing risk, and implementing controls.

At a recent training session for our Site Leadership Program, we had the privilege of hosting Rob Oldfield from Energy Safe Victoria and Michael Welsh from Before You Dig Australia.

Future Site Leadership Program attendees will utilise this training tool in their Locate, Prove & Protect Services module, where from the safety of the training room they can take what they have learnt and practically apply it.

Learning by doing - the Winslow Way.

We’ve always known it, but now it’s official - Winslow has been recognised as one of the best employers for university graduates, and the best in the construction industry.

Winslow has achieved a Prosple ranking of Number 1 in the Construction and Property sector and 10th Overall in the Top 100 Graduate Employers for 2025.

Prosple is a recruitment platform used by more than 40 universities where different industry graduate positions are advertised.

Winslow uses Prosple to recruit graduates and undergraduates, who undertake our graduate and undergraduate program.

Civil construction is a dynamic industry, so our graduate program has been designed to be flexible enough to keep pace with project needs.

The program provides students and university graduates with the opportunity to gain a unique industry experience, whilst developing essential, practical and interpersonal skills.

The core of our business operations is located out in the field, so that’s where our graduates learn the most about the industry and how it all works.

For anyone interested in Winslow’s Graduate Program, click here.

Winslow collaborates with various groups to provide opportunities to different community groups, and we value using and passing on knowledge.

Chaya, a Winslow Constructors Site Engineer, has been mentoring university students studying for careers in the construction industry.

The Buddy Program is run by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Victoria Education Committee to help students navigate the transition from university to industry, and successfully integrate into the workforce.

The program is available for Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management and Architecture students of all genders.

Chaya is one of 33 ‘buddies’ who have volunteered to participate in the program to mentor one to two students.

“I wanted to participate as I had an interesting journey into the industry,” Chaya said.

“I also wanted to promote Winslow’s priority to employ people who show initiative and promise.”

recruitment and labour hire social enterprise in the construction industry, resulting in the employment of three talented women into our business.

Sindhusri (Sri) Nimmala is working on RBR, Dulangi Malwatta on the Sunbury Road Upgrade Project, and Ammaila Rashid, who works in our pre-contracts team in Port Melbourne, have all been employed as graduate engineers.

The WI and Sheforce teams recently filmed a video as part of the Hume SEED program case study, to highlight best practice in inclusive employment, collaboration and B2B opportunities and the positive impact that our collaboration is having on people’s lives. 

Larissa Farnan, WI HR Manager and Sri were the stars of the show, with support from Dulangi and team volunteers for some B-roll shots.

“WI decided to participate in the Hume SEED program as we have a commitment to inclusive hiring practices,” Larissa said.

“The Hume SEED program is an economic development program aimed at providing employment opportunities for underrepresented groups in Hume through inclusive hiring and social procurement.

“It is important to have a diverse and inclusive workforce in the competitive construction industry, not only as a means of social responsibility, but also as a pathway to success.

“WI joined forces with Sheforce, another Hume SEED signatory, to drive inclusive employment and foster meaningful change.”

Sri came to Melbourne from Hyderabad, India four years ago to complete her Masters.

She spent her first seven months here as a graduate working in a bottle shop because she couldn’t find work as an engineer.

A friend told her about Sheforce, and this created the pathway to her employment with WI on the RBR project.

Sri is grateful for the ongoing support of Larissa, and for the opportunity Sheforce offered her, as it can be very hard for international students to find work in their chosen field.

“It’s not a normal job, it’s my dream job that I’ve pictured for many years,” says Sri, who was offered the job on her 26th birthday.

“Coming into my exact field has made me so happy and I’ve just been made permanent too.”

Recently we’ve participated at local careers expos in South Australia and captured graduate and undergraduate interest through Prosple. As a result, our first South Australian cohort for our grad program has commenced!

What better introduction than through our first graduate in-house structured learning session. Apart from meeting key leaders and members of the Winslow South Australia team, the first session focuses on introducing our grads to the program and then a deep dive into our construction operations. Over the coming months, they will be led through a range of topics by our SA Construction Manager, Sam, with material co-developed by our Winslow Constructors General Manager, Andrew.

Our graduates will experience the depth of our vertically integrated business, gaining new skills the Winslow Way, and deepening their capabilities over time.

Our new graduates are now out in the field gaining valuable ‘boots on ground’ experience – The Winslow Way.

We wish them all the best as they commence their Winslow career journey with us.

By developing ourselves, we ensure quality in the workplace and provide greater opportunities to enable staff to progress their careers – a true example of our Learning business pillar in action!

Winslow was proud to sponsor the Property Council of Australia’s regional Girls in Property program last week at the Cotton On Group head offices in Geelong with almost 50 students from three schools in attendance.

The program educates girls on the possibilities that are available across a huge range of career paths that exist within the property industry.

Winslow’s Gosia and Kelly-Marie attended the event to inspire greater female participation and creating a sustainable pipeline of talent for the growing industry.

Girls were split into groups hosted by young industry professionals to learn about different careers in property.

As part of Winslow's Mental Health Month in September, teams across Winslow have embraced the 'Go The Extra K challenge' - walking or running 9,000 steps a day for 30 days, honouring the nine Australians lost to suicide every day.

Whether our people aim for 9000 steps, or just go for a short walk, we know exercise is a powerful tool for managing mental health, and the good news is that even a small amount of regular exercise can make a difference.

From the Olivine Steppers raising funds for a mental health cause, to the Ravenhall Walking Club hitting their daily laps, the challenge has brought people together, sparked some friendly competition, and most importantly, raised awareness around the importance of exercise being an effective treatment for people already living with depression or anxiety, and also helping improve overall mood, energy levels, and sleep quality.

As Project Manager, Joseph, shared: “If you are going through something, you are not alone, and if you need help, the door is always open.”

It’s never too late to start walking - or to reach out.

We are proud to introduce our new networking initiative – Women of Winslow.

Its purpose is to encourage and support our full-time female colleagues to connect with each other and the wider business and create opportunities that allow women to support each other.

The Women of Winslow focuses on:

• Building internal relationships and connections with each other;
• Increasing knowledge and awareness of the business;
• Learning from each other;
• Understanding career pathways and development opportunities; and
• Informal mentoring and increasing positive role modelling through stronger connections with likeminded colleagues.

The Women of Winslow mentoring program provides us with the opportunity to come together and to gain feedback from our female colleagues about their networking priorities.

Workshops have been designed to provide knowledge and skills to support women within the Winslow Group in their role as a mentor. 

By coming together, the women have an opportunity to connect as a network and enables them to support each other throughout the program.

Women of Winslow continues to encourage our female employees to stay connected with each other and the wider business by providing opportunities to have conversations that can help support each other.

On Thursday at Hyatt Place Events Centre, Essendon Fields, women from across the Group gathered for a signature event Building Gravitas, which was also attended by business leaders and external partners.

Keynote Speaker, Dr Louise Mahler, discussed the changing face of civil construction where women are entering the workforce for the better. But how do they lead the way?

By building what the Ancient Romans called ‘gravitas’.

Gravitas means your ideas and voice are taken seriously, your input is sought and valued, and you are more likely to gain the trust and respect of those around you.

In an engaging and humorous presentation, Dr Mahler highlighted how simple changes to mannerisms and speech can present as confidence.

“Confidence is competence, and that competence is in the areas of vocal presence, body power and clear and concise messaging,” Dr Mahler said. 

All those who attended the event praised Dr Maher and their first opportunity to meet so many women from around the Group, who can be identified with their one-off Women of Winslow hoodies.

This year, Women of Winslow increased its activity across the business with the commencement of our inhouse Women of Winslow Mentoring program and attending industry events.

It not only builds the positive visibility of women in our business, but also provides important opportunities to understand career pathways and development opportunities through stronger connections with like-minded colleagues.

“I am proud to continue championing Women of Winslow initiatives that enhance connections and provide opportunities for our Women across Winslow,” said Winslow Group General Counsel Amelia Rizzo.

Women of Winslow continues to support our females by providing opportunities for them to connect with each other, the wider business and to be inspired.
Recently, women from across the Group gathered at Hyatt Place Events Centre at Essendon Fields, Melbourne, for a signature event “Respect Trumps Harmony”.
Guest speaker Rachael Robertson shared her story about how she successfully led a year long expedition to Antarctica and the lessons she learned about leadership and teamwork.
Rachael is a natural leader and we felt privileged to have her present exclusively for the Winslow Group.
All attendees took away some powerful leadership tools that they can apply not only in their professional roles but in their personal roles too. They also received their new edition Women of Winslow hoodies and beanies.
“I am proud to continue championing Women of Winslow initiatives to help connect, support and inspire our women across Winslow,” said Winslow Group General Counsel Amelia Rizzo.

Last week, the final of two workshops for the Women of Winslow mentoring program was held at Marnong Estate.  

Women of Winslow highlights and celebrates positive role modelling of women in positions across our business, by developing training opportunities, capability and diversity that will engage and empower our women to pursue many career opportunities at Winslow confidently.

The mentoring workshops, with the first held in February, were designed as a structured training opportunity to increase knowledge and skills to support women within the Winslow Group in their role as a mentor. 

Our mentors have been active since and the first workshop and the second workshop highlighted the importance of learning from each other.

Winslow’s wholistic approach to learning reinforces the value we place on using and passing on knowledge.

At Winslow, we learn from each other, we stretch and challenge ourselves and provide opportunities of diverse experiences – it’s The Winslow Way.

The inspiring mentoring workshops, hosted by Winslow Group General Counsel Amelia Rizzo, and facilitated by Laurice Temple and Nicole Jordan, enabled the women to have an opportunity to connect as a network and to support each other throughout the program.

The Women of Winslow mentoring program is creating and developing leaders, impacting the culture of Winslow through support, connection and genuine care for each other and their teams back on site.

Winslow is future focused on supporting our women and we believe that “you can’t be what you can’t see”.

Our new mentoring graduates are creating positive energy on our sites – thank you for your active participation and enthusiasm!

Congratulations to all mentoring graduates, whose enthusiasm has made the initiative a success.

The Women of Winslow mentors and mentees attended another inspiring Women in Leadership business lunch at Marnong Estate, in Melbourne’s north, last Thursday.

The event was an opportunity for those involved in the mentor program to connect and hear inspirational guest speaker Tess Brouwer.

WOW is an ongoing initiative across the Winslow Group. Its purpose is to encourage our female employees to stay connected with each other and the wider business by providing opportunities to have conversations that can help support each other when they may sometimes feel isolated onsite.

The WOW mentoring program is specifically aimed at supporting site-based females through upskilling our current female site leaders.

It highlights and celebrates positive role modelling of women in site positions across our business, demonstrating capability and diversity that will inspire and empower future generations of women to pursue many opportunities at Winslow confidentially.