From classroom to construction

As part of Women in Construction Week, we meet some of Winslow Group’s women thriving in the civil construction industry. Today we meet YVE Group Project Engineer Naiyla Goverdhan.

Winslow continues to raise the awareness and career opportunities for women in civil construction and ensures that females are armed with enough information to be best positioned it as an industry of choice for their career.

Project Engineer Naiyla Goverdhan was studying Project Management at RMIT in Melbourne when she joined YVE and joined the business full time after she graduated in 2021.

She chose a career in construction after listening to various spokespersons from different companies, who attended the university, and shared their experiences and opportunities that they had.

“Although studying Project Management didn’t include civil construction nevertheless, it helped me develop interpersonal skills such as collaboration, communication, organisation and etc,” Naiyla said.

Naiyla recommends other women to enter a career in civil construction.

“There are more opportunities being created for women in the civil construction industry,” she said.

“It is also shown that having a diverse workplace leads to better decision-making and enhancing teamwork.”

“It can be intimidating at times working in a male-dominated industry, especially when I first started however, with such a supportive workplace it helps me to feel comfortable and make the environment less overwhelming.”

Naiyla said her highlight working in construction has been the work environment.

She has worked on many water and sewer reticulation projects in Melbourne’s west region, and a standout out was a project involving more than 1km of water pipelines involving large diameter pipes.

“Everyone at YVE is very supportive and encouraging in my learning journey,” she said.

“People are willing to take time out to explain when I’m unsure of things.

I was also involved in Women of Winslow mentoring program where I was paired with a female mentor (Winslow Constructors Project Engineer Sarah Piggott).

“This helped to see how my mentor progressed in her journey and the experiences she went through as a female.”

On site, Naiyla said she has been working under Project Manager Dylan Wijnen since she started working with YVE.

“He stands out as a mentor because he has  many years of experience in the industry and he has taught be various skills and knowledge,” she said.

She encourages other school leavers to consider a career in construction.

“There are various opportunities in construction and a wide range of work in different sectors within the industry,” Naiyla said.

“It is also important to keep in mind that it takes time to adjust in this industry and grows on you as you progress.”