The results at a glance
A campaign that got women applying
382,000
85,000+
200+
Reach and application figures reported by Downer. Engagement figures from WORK180 campaign reporting, January – May 2026.
The challenge
Reaching women where they’re hardest to find
Women on Track is one of Downer’s most important diversity initiatives. It’s a paid, 12-month rail maintenance traineeship with no experience required. But the roles it creates sit in an industry where women are still significantly under-represented, so standard job ads simply don’t reach far enough.
Downer needed to reach women who weren’t actively job-hunting, show what a career at Downer really looks like, and turn that interest into qualified applications.
What Downer needed
Reach women who aren’t actively looking for a new role
Show the reality of a career at Downer, not just a job ad
Drive qualified applications into live Women on Track roles
A partner to design and manage the whole campaign, so it didn’t add to their team’s workload
Our approach
We built a journey, not a one-off job ad
Hiring women into these roles isn’t a one-touch decision. We designed the campaign as a journey that meets women at different moments, building awareness first, then guiding them through to application.
Stage 1
Awareness
Stage 2
Consideration
Stage 3
Application
What we did together
Four activities, all run by WORK180
Each activity played a specific role at a different step of the candidate journey, from first reaching women who’d never heard of Women on Track through to qualified applications on a live role. WORK180 ran every one of them, from filming Leah’s story to designing the ads and reporting on the results, so Downer’s team could stay focused on hiring.
Step 1 · Reaching women
Activity 01
We put Downer in front of women across the web
Downer ads appeared on the news sites, blogs and apps women already use every day, so the brand felt familiar by the time they saw a role to apply for.
Seen 180,788 times across the web
Step 2 · Sparking interest
Activity 02
We shared a swipe-through story on LinkedIn
A simple, visual story that introduced Women on Track to women already looking for career inspiration, quick to take in as they scrolled.
On LinkedIn, more than 1 in 5 women who saw it clicked to learn more
Step 3 · Building belief
Activity 03
We told Leah’s story on video
A short video of rail technician Leah Sarra sharing her career at Downer in her own words. A job ad can list values; Leah’s story shows what they really feel like.
Leah’s story was watched more than 34,000 times
Step 4 · Driving applications
Activity 04
We put live roles in front of the right women
Two targeted job ads placed Women on Track roles directly into the Facebook and LinkedIn feeds of women who were a strong fit, turning interest into applications.
95 women clicked apply, straight from their feeds
In Downer’s words
“I knew that we’d get a great outcome and was very, very happy with the amount of applications and the quality of applications that we received.”
Matt Hunter
Recruitment and Sourcing Manager, Rail and Transit Systems, Downer
What it means
Why this worked
Downer showed up where women already are
Across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and thousands of websites, actively reaching women rather than waiting for them to find the roles.
A story women could connect with
Leah’s video and the LinkedIn story turned “Downer is hiring” into “here’s what a career at Downer actually looks like”.
Interest converted into applications
Targeted job ads closed the loop, guiding qualified women from first awareness all the way through to applying for a live role.
Full visibility on every step
Every view, click and application is measured, so decisions about the next phase can be grounded in evidence.
About the programme
Downer’s Women on Track
Women on Track is a programme for women interested in working on the tools in rail maintenance, with no experience required. It’s a 12-month traineeship combining full-time work with part-time study. What’s on offer:
A full-time, 12-month paid traineeship with on-the-job training
One-on-one mentoring, a buddy on site and ongoing wellbeing check-ins
A paid Certificate II qualification on completion
A genuine pathway into apprenticeship and trades roles
“This is an entry-level role. We’ve taken the barriers away and we want people with the right attitude and a can-do attitude to join.”
– Matt Hunter, Downer
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