Energy Queensland (EQL), one of Australia’s largest electricity distributors, is driving systemic workforce diversity reforms, particularly in technical and operational roles. EQL’s commitment to growing workforce diversity through intentional design has led to industry-leading results.
As of June 2025, women made up over 22% of their almost 10,000 workers and over 30% of their apprentices. This was complemented by significant growth in First Nations peoples within their workforce, reflecting EQL’s strategic shift toward a more diverse, inclusive and future-ready organisation.
EQL’s approach to growing diversity across their workforce focused on three primary streams.
1. Building the Pipeline
EQL identified that building a stronger pipeline of diverse applicants was integral to growing the diversity within their workforce. Initiatives including the ‘Girl Power’ program (running since 2021 in high schools) were designed to inspire girls to pursue trade careers by connecting them with women tradies and apprentices. Partnerships with organisations like the Clontarf Foundation and rural cadetships helped to grow interest among First Nations peoples.
These strategies, coupled with work experience opportunities and deliberate focus on diversity within advertising, school engagement and careers fairs, led to significantly increased interest in EQL careers by diverse applicants. By 2025, over 1,200 women and 600 First Nations peoples applied for EQL apprenticeships.
2. Recruitment Reform
EQL re-examined their apprentice recruitment process to determine how to improve diversity, while maintaining the highest standards for candidate selection. EQL revamped its recruitment to focus on candidate potential, not just past performance. A gender target (40% women, 40% men, 20% open) was introduced and embedded through leadership briefings and organisational performance tracking. Meanwhile, diversity and inclusion training, including within the apprenticeship, and support for First Nations employees, ensured a broader positive culture shift.
3. Retention through Inclusive Practices
EQL focused not just on increasing the diversity of the incoming workforce, but also in retaining and supporting their needs. In 2017, EQL established a Women in Technical and Operational Roles (WINTOR) working party to better understand the experiences of their employees and address barriers to equity and inclusion. WINTOR has driven employee-informed solutions and workplace improvements, ranging from uniform and tooling suitability to parental leave support, buddy systems, Women in Trades forums and safe and inclusive workplace practices.
In addition to WINTOR, EQL matured a culture of inclusivity through cultural safety and behavioural training and commitment to growing a supported diverse workforce – from the Board and senior leadership right through to the apprentices and new hires. These employee-informed solutions promote dignity, autonomy, and long term retention.
Outcomes and Lessons
With a >95% apprentice completion rate and a fast-growing number of women and First Nations peoples in apprentice and technical roles, EQL is seeing real change. Success has hinged on intentional design, visible representation of diversity, clear targets and internal messaging, and employee-led innovation—demonstrating that lasting inclusion requires systemic action and organisational commitment.
