Paving the way

While the trenchless industry is considered to be a predominantly male industry, Adept Civil Group supervisor Maddison Corrie is breaking ceilings and challenging the stereotypes. 

When Maddison Corrie first joined Adept Civil Group, she saw a chance to test her skills while fuelling her passion for building and creating in the outdoors. 

“I saw it as an opportunity to make an impact on the environment, challenge the stereotypes and be a part of a dynamic field where my skills were valued, regardless of my gender,” Corrie said. 

“The trenchless industry has fuelled my desire to enter a traditionally male dominated industry and test my talent, leadership and innovation.” 

Now six years later, she continues to fuel that passion with the support of her colleagues at Adept Civil. 

“It’s a very encouraging environment to work in,” Corrie said. 

“The culture and the people within the company truly make it a supportive workplace.” 

Specialising in water and sewerage drainage pipelines, pump stations and associated services, Adept Civil has earned its reputation as a leading civil engineering contractor by delivering quality projects on time and within the budget.

The company delivers on microtunnelling, pipe jacking, laser guided boring and shaft construction projects for clients across Victoria. It also has a strong focus on environmental management through its philosophies of education, communication, continual improvement, and company involvement.

The philosophy of company involvement is what led to Corrie leading the charge of using trenchless technology at the company.  

“I remember when I first joined Adept, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help navigate the trenchless venture for the company,” Corrie said. 

“I had absolutely zero knowledge or experience and I hadn’t even seen a trenchless machine, let alone know what it was.” 

Within the first project with the machine, Corrie was in the pilot seat operating it. 

“I had absolutely no knowledge other than reading the manuals, in the months prior to the delivery of the machine,” she said. 

“I’m proud of that in the sense that I built myself from the ground up and now I’m running the machine and overseeing it all.” 

Combined with the support and guidance from her colleagues, Corrie said she is proud of how far the Adept Civil has come. However, she said every project has its challenges and difficulties. 

“But we just continue to find a way and I’m probably most proud of that,” she said. 

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Corrie refuses to let gender define her capabilities and encourages other women to do the same. 

“Stereotypes shouldn’t define us women,” Corrie said. 

“There’s a world of opportunities within this industry so I encourage other women to give it a go. 

“I hope my participation champions that fact and I’m a big believer that equity within the industry should be treated as safety is.”

As the trenchless industry continues to evolve, Corrie sees a wealth of opportunities for women too, especially with trenchless evolving as the population grows. 

“As it continues to grow, so will the exposure for women in industry and that’s a really exciting place to be,” she said.

For more information, visit Adept Civil’s website.