Build the leadership capability to embed gender equality where it matters
Gender Equality Accelerator participants learn how to shift from gender equality commitment to consistent, organisation-wide action.
Most organisations want their workplaces to be fair and equal. But they often find:
• progress has stalled despite gender equality action
• women and men experience the workplace differently
• gender equality knowledge is not translating into practice
One of several reasons your organisation may be experiencing these issues is because gender equality knowledge often sits within HR. Transferring that knowledge into sustained practice widely across the organisation can be the missing piece. This requires managers to build the capability to lead in a gender-attuned way.
Accelerator brings people managers and HR practitioners together to share knowledge and build capability that can be embedded in the organisation.
The in-person and online program is delivered as a train the trainer, WGEA will support attendees with the materials, knowledge and expertise to take back to your organisation to be able to equip others in your own context.
What attendees gain
The Accelerator is about building capability that lasts beyond the workshops. It will help you with:
practical tools to apply gender equality insight to real leadership decisions
stronger alignment between HR practitioners and managers
confidence to lead change, not just design policy
capability to embed and sustain gender equality practices across systems and teams.
What your organisation gains
Employers that empower employees to attend the Accelerator benefit from:
stronger internal capability to implement and sustain gender equality actions
improved consistency between people strategy and management practice
accelerated progress on priority gender equality outcomes
reduced reliance on external consultants
strengthened readiness to achieve and maintain Workplace Gender Equality Citation recognition.
Jody Kershaw, WeBuild Group
Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and insights. I have found the sessions incredibly valuable, and they have prompted me to reflect on the many gendered processes, practices and assumptions that exist across our employee lifecycle and key 'moments that matter'.
Who is the WGEA Accelerator for?
Employers aspiring to achieve recognition in the Workplace Gender Equality Citation receive priority access to Accelerator. A limited number of places are available to employers demonstrating their commitment to making progress on gender equality in their workplace.
Each participating employer nominates two people to attend:
One HR practitioner
Designs workplace systems, policies and employee experiences
One manager from the organisation
Responsible for delivering those policies and experiences in practice outside of HR
Together, participants act as internal change agents, strengthening gender equality capability across the organisation.
Express your interest by emailing wgecitation@wgea.gov.au
Before attending the Accelerator, at least one participant from each organisation must have completed all 3 sessions of WGEA’s Foundational Masterclass Series. You may register for the Accelerator before completing the prerequisites.
Accelerator structure
The Gender Equality Accelerator is delivered as a structured learning journey, combining:
in-person workshops
online tutorials
practical application to your organisation’s real challenges.
Attendance at all components is required.
1. Tools for leading on workplace gender equality
In-person workshop | 1 day
Build gender-attuned leadership capability and explore leading practices that promote gender equal experiences and outcomes.
📍 Sydney (WGEA) & Melbourne (3 Treasury Place, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002)
2. Moments that matter tutorials
5 online tutorials | 1.5 hours each
Apply gender-attuned leadership to key moments across the employee lifecycle, including:
recruitment and selection
talent planning
work design (part-time and job share)
transitions
performance evaluation.
💻Delivered weekly via Microsoft Teams following Workshop 1.
3. Amplifying the lead on gender equality
In-person workshop | 1 day
Focus on embedding gender-attuned leadership into organisational strategy and systems, including prevention of workplace sexual harassment and readiness for ongoing citation recognition.
📍 Sydney (WGEA) & Melbourne (3 Treasury Place, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002)
Where is WGEA? Find us on the map below.
When does WGEA run the Gender Equality Accelerator?
2026 dates
Offering 2 (Sydney): 29 July – 23 September Contact us for availability
Experienced as Workshop 1 (in person, all day) on 29 July, tutorials (online) weekly 11am - 12:30pm from Wednesday 12 August & Workshop 2 (in person, all day) on 23 September
Offering 3 (Melbourne): 5 August – 7 October. At capacity - waitlist open
Experienced as Workshop 1 (in person, all day) on 5 August, Tutorials (online) weekly 11am - 12:30pm from Tuesday 18 August & Workshop 2 (in person, all day) on 7 OctoberOffering 4 (Sydney): 14 October – 2 December. At capacity - waitlist open
Experienced as Workshop 1 (in person, all day) on 14 October, Tutorials (online) weekly 11am - 12:30pm from 21 October & Workshop 2 (in person, all day) on 2 DecemberOffering 5 (Melbourne): 21 October - 9 December. At capacity - waitlist open
Experienced as Workshop 1 (in person, all day) on 21 October, Tutorials (online) weekly 11am - 12:30pm from Tuesday 27 October & Workshop 2 (in person, all day) on 9 December
2027 dates coming soon.
Ready to accelerate your organisation's progress?
Places are limited for each program cycle.
Gender Equality Accelerator FAQs
Registration
Q: What do the Accelerator dates mean in terms of participation?
A: Each program includes 2 x 1-day, in-person workshops and 5 online Moments that Matter tutorials. When you sign up for the program, you are registering for all 7 sessions and will be required to attend each of them. Session days and times are consistent (unless indicated), and are held in order of Workshop 1, five Moments that Matter tutorials and Workshop 2.
Q: To secure a spot, can I register now and confirm the line manager participant later?
A: Yes. You can register now and update the registration details up to a week before the Accelerator commences.
Q: What is the cost of participating in the Gender Equality Accelerator?
A: Employers aspiring to achieve recognition in the Workplace Gender Equality Citation receive priority access to Accelerator with the cost included in the application fee. For a limited time, a small number of places are also available to employers demonstrating their commitment to making progress on gender equality in their workplace
Q: Can I bring another colleague to a Moments that Matter tutorial?
A: The program is designed for the nominated participants to build and apply capability across all sessions. If a participant is unable to attend a tutorial, a proxy may attend in their place. Proxies should be briefed in advance, as sessions build on prior learning and foundational concepts are not revisited. Additional participants will need to be briefed appropriately and confirmed with WGEA.
Q: Who should I consider as our manager participant?
A: We encourage you to select a manager who can play a key role in guiding transformation across the organisation. This means they should:
be interested in expanding their leadership capability
be willing to share their deepened knowledge and capability and influence change across their organisation
be able to attend both workshops in person and most or all of the moments that matter tutorials
have access (or be given access) to the organisation’s most recent gender pay gap analysis findings.
WGEA has a set of guiding questions to support your decision-making. Don’t hesitate to reach out via wgecitation@wgea.gov.au if you’d like further support.
Pre-requisites
Q: Can I register before completing the prerequisites (WGEA’s Foundational Masterclass series)?
A: Yes. As places in the Gender Equality Accelerator are limited, you are encouraged to secure your spot early. You can then attend any of the Foundational Masterclass sessions you have not yet completed before the program commences.
Q: Do both participants have to complete the prerequisites (WGEA’s Foundational Masterclass series)?
A: No. Only one participant is required to complete the prerequisites. We encourage this to be the HR practitioner, who can then brief the manager participant ahead of the Accelerator commencing.
Q: How do I register for the pre-requisites (WGEA’s Foundational Masterclass series)?
A: Please visit WGEA's Masterclasses and Learning Events. If you have any issues registering, don’t hesitate to contact wgecitation@wgea.gov.au and you will be prioritised.
Participation expectations
Q: Do I need to bring anything to the workshops and online tutorials?
A: To support interactive learning and implementation focused collaboration, each organisation will need to bring several materials to the workshops and online tutorials. These are outlined in the Participant Guide, which is provided upon registration.
Q: What is expected of participants after the Accelerator?
A: Achieving a gender equal workplace requires every part of the organisation to work together. The Gender Equality Accelerator is a catalyst for this, developing leadership capability and tools to accelerate progress. Participants will use program outcomes to develop others and strengthen organisational systems so leading gender equality practices can be embedded and scaled.
Q: What support is available after the Accelerator?
A: WGEA will continue to support participants beyond the Accelerator to sustain progress and strengthen embedding. Participants will be invited to join the Gender Equality Accelerator Program Community of Practice, providing opportunities to continue learning, share experience and build capability alongside other organisations. WGEA’s Citation team also remains available to provide guidance as organisations progress toward ongoing recognition.
Q. Do both participants from my organisation need to attend the same offering?
A. Yes. The Accelerator is designed for participants from the same organisation to work together, building shared knowledge and skills so they can act as internal change agents and strengthen gender equality capability across the organisation.
Q: Do participants need to attend all scheduled sessions?
A: Yes. The Gender Equality Accelerator is delivered as an integrated learning journey, with each component building on the last. Full participation is expected to support effective application, capability development and organisational embedding. Where attendance is not possible, participants should contact WGEA to discuss options.
Q: Is there an option to attend online?
A: The Accelerator is intentionally designed as a combination of in-person workshops and online tutorials. This approach enables both deep, interactive learning and ongoing application to real organisational challenges. Participation in both formats is required to maximise learning and impact.
Cancellations
Q: What should we do if we can no longer make a session?
A: Please send an email to wgecitation@wgea.gov.au as soon as possible, to confirm
Contact and support
Questions?
Contact the Workplace Gender Equality Citation team at:
📧wgecitation@wgea.gov.au
More information about the Workplace Gender Equality Citation
A list of the current WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation holders.