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Award-winning defence industry female mentoring program The Future Through Collaboration (TFTC) has entered a record breaking seventh year, welcoming the Minister for Defence Industry as guest speaker for its 2021 program launch on 26 August.
Established in 2015, the TFTC Mentoring Program aims to provide women working within the engineering, project management, ICT and cyber disciplines in Defence and defence industry the opportunity to work with a senior industry mentor.
The collaborative non-for-profit defence industry venture is offering a structured 12-month program designed to develop skills and forge strong networks.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price is a guest speaker for the program the 2021 program launch, as TFTC welcomes 58 pairs of mentors and mentees, the program’s largest cohort yet.
Kat Lezes, TFTC program specialist, bids farewell to the class of 2020 with pride as the first all-virtual program graduates after both mentors and mentees overcame the challenges presented by a global pandemic.
According to TFTC chair, Amelia De Angelis, the program’s success can be attributed to facilitating impactful relationships.
“I was lucky enough to have a mentor in my early career and have first-hand experience of how important that kind of impactful relationship can be,” De Angelis added.
"There are women in defence industry doing amazing things, TFTC provides the platform for these women to meet, connect, share stories and grow that sense of belonging.”
TFTC was created in response to the industry-wide challenge of diversity. In a male dominated environment, defence industry organisations have struggled to attract and retain women. A unique collaborative venture supported by Kinexus, Airservices Australia, BAE Systems, Department of Defence, Royal Australian Navy, the TFTC program is designed to shine a light on women’s stories while bolstering Defence capability.
The TFTC 2021 program will launch virtually on Thursday, 26 August at 12:15pm.
[Related: 5 women win Defence STEM scholarships]
