The Civil Contractors Federation Queensland is hoping a field day to be held next year will showcase a part of the construction industry which is changing rapidly.

Queensland chief executive officer Damian Long said the inaugural Queensland Civil Construction Field Day in Brisbane from March 21-22 will provide a one-stop shop on everything to do with civil construction.

He said the event would fill what was an obvious gap in terms of letting the wider public know what civil construction was all about.

“Suppliers will have an opportunity to display their products, but the event is also very much about showcasing the civil construction industry in general,” Mr Long said.

“We recognised that there was a real gap in terms of what we could do to show off civil construction and this event definitely fills that gap.”

Mr Long said the field day would also promote the message that civil construction was an industry which was changing dramatically and was becoming more and more attractive as a career option.

“Civil construction is no longer just about that image of men with shovels on a construction site,” Mr Long said.

“It’s an industry that is changing rapidly and one that is opening up to more and more people.

“It has certainly been an industry dominated by males, but we’re keen to move away from that blokey image and we want to drive home the message that diversity is becoming a real strength in it now.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, there is a real future for you in civil construction if you want to head that way.

“It’s really about increasing the pool of people who think working in civil construction represents a serious career move.”

Mr Long said parents could play a role in recommending the industry when their children were considering what career path to take.

“I think parents can say to their kids, ‘look, working in civil construction is a real career option for you these days’,” he said.

“It has become a career where there is no barrier to progression and that is one of the key points we want to make at the field day.”

Mr Long said he hoped the field day could become a regular event, at least on a biennial basis.

Interested people can register  at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/civilcontractorsfederationqueensland/220714