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G&T Senior Associate, Amanda Russell, discusses the need for more women in construction and what can be done to encourage this.
Recently, Miranda Housden wrote in New Civil Engineer that engineering needed more women to close the gender and skills gaps. She called for a change in attitude in schools and in the home to encourage more girls to consider it as a career option.
Whilst I agree with Housden, it’s important that engineering doesn’t become the only industry garnering attention on this issue. Obviously, in this instance the article was written specifically for an engineering magazine, but the wider debate is only just starting to recognise skill shortages in other STEM based careers within construction.
Towards the end of last year, G&T Senior Partner, Tony Burton applauded Vince Cable’s initiative in pledging almost £50 million to engineering to make it a more attractive career to young people of both genders but also encouraged similar support for the wider construction industry.
I whole heartedly agree with Tony but my concern is that however unattractive construction is as a career to boys it is even more so to girls. Recruiting more women and having an industry that is more reflective of the society that uses its products could go a long way to solving the skills shortages problem.
Additionally, addressing the gender balance in the workforce will also bring benefits through diversity in the workplace and it will open up opportunities for the industry to develop existing, or create new, working relationships with clients and other like-minded consultancies. Research shows that companies with a higher proportion of women in management positions, and across all levels, are more successful in terms of employee morale, client care and profit.
So what can be done to tackle the gender gap in the construction industry and attract more women?
Change the skyline
As Housden states (for engineering), we do need to target girls at school age and show them how rewarding a career in the construction industry can be. This year, following a pilot scheme last March, G&T will be launching the Change the Skyline project. Female Surveyors from G&T will go into schools and promote a positive image of construction and the professional opportunities available through a series of presentations, speeches and career fairs. Our intention is not to alienate boys (in fact we encourage boys to attend), but our strategy will focus on informing young females that they shouldn’t be discouraged by a currently male dominated industry.
Change the Skyline participants: Amanda Russell, Natasha McNamara, Katie Coulson and Katie Metcalf
The content will include showing girls some of the amazing projects that we get to work on as well as drawing on our own personal experiences in the industry. With this initiative, we are hoping to inspire and change perceptions of construction.
The other thing to consider in recruiting young women is visibility in the form of successful role models. So we also need to ensure that we are encouraging those that have already been recruited to stay in the industry.
Women’s Development Programme
In a male dominated environment, it’s important that talented women are nurtured and encouraged to stay – the retention of any skilled employee can only benefit the company.
At G&T, we have a programme that was launched as part of an initiative in 2012 to empower future leaders of the firm. Women make up 50% of the workforce but are significantly under-represented at senior levels in most organisations. The Women’s Development Programme, therefore, has been designed to ensure that all females in the firm are given the opportunities to realise their career aspirations.
Through networking events, talks, and discussions the Women’s Development Programme covers areas such as building self-awareness, business development tools and creating social change. To date, the programme has been hugely successful, with participants commenting positively:
“I have a greater level of self-confidence and self-awareness”.
And
“I have a much better understanding of networking and am more confident in attending networking events”.
I believe that creating such a supportive environment through this programme will encourage women to stay and reach their full potential.
For me personally, the Women’s Development Programme has encouraged me to push for things that I wouldn’t normally push for and it has helped me to develop my skills alongside like-minded women in a comfortable setting.
Ultimately, I think that changing the image of construction, so that it can compete with more “glamorous” careers such as public relations, advertising, and hospitality will really help in recruiting young people of both genders, but we need to ensure that message is being received by girls. I truly believe that the Change the Skyline initiative and Women’s Development Programme will really help in achieving this.
Amanda Russell
After studying technical drawing at school, Amanda Russell decided that she would like a career in architecture as an Architectural Technician. However, during her years in higher education, where she studied Building Studies, she realised that the industry was headed towards a more computerised design approach and decided to become a Cost Consultant instead. She started out with a short spell for a housing contractor; she then went to work for a major building and civil engineering contractor before working for G&T. Amanda loves the variety of being a Cost Consultant, which includes office time mixed with site visits. She enjoys the different and exciting projects that she works on, including the recently opened Sam Wanamaker Theatre.
If you have any thoughts or opinions on Amanda’s article, please post them in the comments box below by clicking on the speech bubble.
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