Diversity

Indigenous Opportunities

We understand the challenges facing Indigenous Australians today and take seriously our role in closing the gap between our Indigenous and non-indigenous communities. We contribute practically through employment pathways, partnerships with Indigenous enterprises and work with governments to help realise our country’s goals.

As part of our commitment, we developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to formalise our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We hold ourselves accountable to the framework and more significantly, the RAP has increased awareness among our people that providing opportunities, respecting Indigenous culture and building lasting relationships is a critical part of how we do business around Australia. In 2014, we exceeded our company's target for Indigenous employment with 5.7 per cent of our team being Indigenous Australians.

At Thiess it’s not just about employment numbers. It’s about creating careers and a work environment that encourages and values diversity. A work environment built on mutual respect where people are inspired to work and grow with us.

WOMEN AT WORK

In a traditionally male-dominated workforce, women make up more than 13 per cent of our team. This is anticipated to grow as applications from female university students continue to increase.

We have embarked on a series of initiatives to promote and increase employment opportunities to women in non-traditional roles in the engineering and mining sectors at entry, graduate, workforce and professional levels including senior management positions. We also aim to improve awareness among professional women about career opportunities in our industry.

Our success in increasing the number of women on our team is testament to the quality of these programs. Through active participation in industry bodies such as WIMARQ and work placement programs, various university scholarship programs and work placement programs, we continue to promote and provide employment opportunities to women.

We provide a range of personal protective equipment (PPE) items specifically designed for women. These include jeans, trousers and work shirts. Emphasis on the correct fit for PPE upholds Thiess’ stringent safety standards and provides women with tailored items that demonstrate value and respect for individual needs.