If you're serious about achieving gender equality —
Engage and Retain your Early Career Women.
The First Five program is designed to meet the unique development needs of women navigating their first five years of a career in any male-dominated industry.
Early Career Women face numerous obstacles in the workplace.
And gender is only one of them.
Being new to any situation can shake a person's self-confidence. But women navigating their first five years in a male-dominated workplace have multiple layers of "new" to overcome.
Gen Z in a Gen X World
Today's Early Career Women approach their work from a different perspective and with different values than their older colleagues and managers.
When you're younger than everyone around you, it takes significant courage to offer an alternative opinion or idea, and taking the initiative can feel like stepping on people' toes.
New to the World of Work
Early Career Women aren't just new to their specific job; they're new to full-time, professional work. In our post-COVID landscape, that's an especially daunting challenge.
Having not yet developed effective communication and conflict resolution skills, they can feel unsure about how to advocate for themselves in a professional setting.
Outnumbered by Men
In traditionally male industries, women are typically in the minority, so they feel like outsiders from the start. They're navigating an environment designed by men for men.
Culture has imbued them with limiting beliefs about where they do and don't belong, so they frequently resist sharing their ideas. Often, they don't realise gender bias is a contributing factor.
With proper support Early Career Women break through barriers.
And you get a more robust pipeline of female talent.
When you develop Early Career Women in accordance with their unique needs, they're more likely to stay, grow, and advance. And because women employees attract more women employees, your intentionality results in a pipeline flush with female talent from front line to middle leadership to the C-Suite.
Investing in Early Career Women is good for them and for your business.
But most development programs miss the mark.
Retaining Early Career Women requires meeting them exactly where they are. But most "women's programs" are geared for those with far more life and career experience. And they're the first to acknowledge that enrolling them in "leadership courses" before they're ready is putting the cart before the horse.
Early Career Women tell us they need training and support in three areas:
- Confidence...to fortify their self-belief so they can speak up, work through challenging situations, and pursue career progression.
- Communication...to develop supportive working relationships, influence others toward positive outcomes, and create meaningful connections.
- Community...to derive a sense of belonging and support alongside other women who are also navigating male-dominated workplaces.
When early career women have the self-concept, skills, and peer support they need to own their role, they do.
That's what the First Five Program facilitates.
"At Urban Utilities I’ve had a number of early career women from my team complete the program. They really enjoyed it and are still getting so much value from it. There is not much else available that is similar to this for the them so great to see a program dedicated to this stage of career.
Essential to support, encourage young women early on in their careers to build their confidence and continue to fan the flames!”
Dr Sonja Toft, Manager Process Engineering Resource Recovery, Urban Utilities
The First Five Program
The program is structured to add support, not stress.
Phase 1: Group Coaching
12 Weeks, no more than 3 hours a week
To facilitate open, honest conversations about vulnerable topics, First Five Program cohorts are limited to 30 participants and includes:
All sessions are recorded and available in the First Five vault.
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Phase 2: Insights for Employers
Live Presentation and Report for P&C / L&D / Managers
Employers in the fight for gender equality often feel frustrated because they don't know what they don't know. To help employers shape policies and procedures for their specific environments, facilitators distill key insights gleaned during the 8-week coaching program.
All information is de-identified to protect participants' privacy.
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First Five isn't just for women in hardhats.
We welcome any woman-identifying person in their first five years of work in any male-dominated industry.
Roles
Industries
Coaching Topic Highlights
When early career women are more sure of themselves, they show up and kick goals.
That means businesses get the benefit of their full brilliance.
Increased their ability to communicate effectively with senior managers
Feel equipped to stand up for themselves and champion their ideas
Have new ideas for how to successfully navigate gender equality issues
Feel more confident to manage their fear of confrontation
Feel equipped to advocate for their own career progression opportunities
Have increased their understanding the motivations of others
Hear from First Five Participants.
More women means better business.
The pursuit of gender equality is complex - from recruitment challenges to successfully getting women back from maternity leave to historical glass ceilings.
However, when leaders ask me what will create the strongest long-term change within their organisation, my answer never varies:
Focus on keeping and empowering the young women you already have.
The truth is, a large reason we're in this position (still 100 years to equality!) is because we tend to take the earliest part of the pipeline for granted. When women who are new to their careers feel like valued contributors, they'll stay long enough to be promoted into leadership positions, they'll attract other women, and they'll want to come back from mat leave.
Is it really that simple? I believe it is. And when you see what your early career women can really do with the support of the First Five Program, you'll believe it, too.
Tanya Andrews, First Five Program Lead Facilitator
Founder of Trellis Collective, Girl Shaped Flames, and UNIQ You
Meet some of our barrier-smashing guest experts.
Emma Brand
Autumn Pierce
Lauren Mua
Daisy Ambach
Trang Pham
Jane Lowney
Senior Director, Robert Walters
Investing in early-career women pays off.
EXCLUSIVE First Five Program fee for UK 2025 Cohort:
￡1700 per participant
A gender-diverse staff means:
- Increased productivity.
- Accelerated innovation.
- Improved retention.
- Enhanced company culture.
- Reinforced leadership pipeline.
- And a more equitable workforce—and world.
The Program Fee Includes:
12-Week Group
Coaching Program
A combination of self-paced learning, large-group workshops, and small-group working sessions gives participants wrap-around education and support.
Small Group
Coaching Session
This call offers each participant the opportunity to share her unique challenges and goals with her program facilitator.
Employer Feedback Presentation
Through anonymised participant feedback, your organisation will glean insights to help you create a workplace culture that attracts and retains female talent.
12 Months of
Learning Content
This ever-expanding vault offers participants continued professional development so they can grow their skills and maximise their potential for your organisation.
Achieving gender equality is complex.
Let's take the next step together.
Peruse the Full Prospectus
Download and share the First Five prospectus, which includes program contents, structure, and fees.
Ask us Your Questions
Book a 15 minute call to see if the program is right for your organisation, and to learn about group booking discounts.
Register for March 2025
Our next cohort begins 16th March, 2025 and registrations must be received by Friday 14th February, 2025.
Your Early Career Women are an untapped resource.
When you invest in Early Career Women, your entire organisation benefits – from each of their individual contributions and from the collective power of having gender-diverse teams and leadership.
Trellis Collective acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Trellis
For Early Career Women
For Organisations
