we
celebrate women
CAPITAL VENEERING
— promoting happiness, progression and goal achievement for all team members
Chantal
by Taylor Perrin Commercial Project Manager and Estimator, Capital Veneering & 2018 CPB Tradesperson Scholarship Winner (NSW)
A lot has changed in the 21 years that Capital Veneering has been operating in Canberra, Queanbeyan and surrounding areas. Once a small, two-man joinery shop, Capital Veneering is now a thriving 65+ person company running largescale high-rise apartment joinery packages and Government fitouts as well as high-end residential joinery projects. Capital Veneering prides itself on its emphasis on community, high quality, passionate people, integrity and innovation in all levels of the business. It offers its staff opportunities to work in commercial and residential joinery fabrication and installation, CNC machining and programming, pre-production detailing, project management, estimating, contracts administration, accounting, training, administration, team leading and management. Among the encouraging changes over the years at Capital Veneering, has been its fast growing, female influence in the company. With currently three apprentices at varying levels of their trade, one pre-production detailer, three office administration/ accounts staff and one qualified tradeswoman in a project management/estimating role, Capital Veneering is proactive and passionate about supporting the women in the business to develop their skills and be their best in the thriving industry. Through initiatives such as personal development and self-management training with outside companies, a company-wide social club with monthly events, fundraising campaigns, a yearly weekend trip away with families and partners, internal mentoring programs, dedicated training plans and regular twoway feedback sessions, all members of the Capital Veneering team are actively shown that their personal happiness, progression and goal achievement is important to their peers and leaders. Jade is 18 years old and is a Second Year Apprentice at Capital Veneering. She decided to begin a career in joinery after deciding she wanted to follow a path that was unique and hands-on. She was nervous when she 44
first came for her interview at Capital Veneering and was concerned about how she would be treated, but quickly realised that everyone was eager to help her feel welcome and a part of the team. Jade is now confidently building joinery by herself, attends Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) with five other young women in her class and is beginning to learn how much detailed work goes into kitchens, bathrooms and other joinery. She is thankful for the support she is getting from not only her team leaders and management, but also the other females at Capital Veneering through mentoring. Chantal is the trusted Finance and HR Manager at Capital Veneering. Her role at Capital Veneering is one that puts her at the heart of the company and over the last seven years she has worked at Capital Veneering she has become a crucial member of the team. Chantal brought 20+ years’ experience in business and finance to her role when she started at Capital Veneering. In her time with the company, she has introduced both financial and HR management processes that have allowed and assisted Capital Veneering to continue their growth trajectory. In my own case, Capital Veneering has been an important support network for me throughout my career thus far. I started at Capital Veneering in 2015 as a Second Year Apprentice with a lack of selfconfidence in my trade skills from a prior company. The completely male management team took the time to address my concerns, focus on areas where I wanted to improve, support me through my education and helped build me into a solid tradeswoman when I was signed off in 2017. When I received my trade certificate, the support did not stop there. Capital Veneering’s encouraging directors Ben Madden and James Saffery built me up through team leader opportunities on the workshop floor before moving me into a commercial project management and estimating role in the office. Through the constant education and skill building challenges I was given to work through, I was awarded
THE NAWIC JOURNAL
