Cement supplier PPC is set to launch its Women in Manufacturing Forum on August 9, which will be a platform that will celebrate women achievers and also recognise their efforts within the manufacturing sector.

“The forum is designed exclusively for women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry and will allow them to gain cutting-edge manufacturing information, improve leadership and communication skills, participate in sponsoring programmes and network with industry peers,” says PPC CFO Tryphosa Ramano.

She adds that bringing women in manufacturing together in a forum will enable them to share their perspectives, to support each other along the way and to find ways of encouraging other women to pursue a challenging and rewarding career in this field.

Sharing the same sentiments and challenges as women in mining and construction, who have minimal representation in male-dominated sectors, the manufacturing industry hopes to transform the sector by encouraging more women to hold leadership positions with the sector.

Ramano mentions that the under-representation of women in senior positions within the sector contributes to the marginalisation of women in the sector, noting that the forum could assist in transforming that.

“Women who hold leadership roles in the manufacturing sector have a responsibility to make sure that women within the sector are visible and to leave a legacy for the next generation of women who want to enter the sector,” she points out.

In its efforts to get the views of women who work in the industry on what needs to be done to accelerate transformation in the sector, PPC held a roundtable workshop on May 16.

The women present at the workshop highlighted that forming mentorship programmes that will provide the necessary tools and information for the next generation of women who want to join the sector could be one step towards the required transformation. The women also noted that a lack of understanding of the sector could be the reason for the minority of women within the sector, highlighting that, therefore, a great need for mentorship exists.

“In the early years of school, girls are as interested in maths and science as boys, but as they continue through school, girls receive less encouragement in these subjects. At the centre of this issue is the need to expand on programmes to encourage more women to consider careers in this field. Women are as successful as men at school, at university and in their early careers, but attrition rates increase significantly as they progress through an organisation,” notes Ramano.

She highlighted that women should not underestimate the power or the responsibility they have in transforming the sector, explaining that women have to be role models from across all levels of manufacturing jobs in order for them to be fully recognised.

Further, Ramano notes that once the forum is formed, it will then form partnerships with organisations that will assist it to drive the purpose of the forum further.

“This will also ensure that continuous research is done in order to keep track of the progress of the initiative and its set mandates. While this will provide the forum with data on what needs to be done, it will also allow it to track the progress of initiatives being pursued,” she concludes.