A career in construction is not the path for women, according to a ConstructionSkills poll of 11 to 18 year-olds. Can the skills-strapped construction industry afford to keep its conservative image, when half the working population feel alienated by it? Polly Farman argues women are making inroads into the industry, despite its unwillingness to change.

A common misconception, or preconception if you will, regarding the industry by those outside of it is that the jobs available are solely concerned with the physical, manual labour side of things. Although it is important to break downbarriers of inequality where these positions are concerned, after all there is no reason why a woman cannot excel in such a role, this mistaken belief lends a hand to certain opinions expressed at this year’s British Council for Offices conference as it points the finger of blame firmly towards poor advertising and marketing strategies, and inadequate careers advice given to the soon-to-be graduates expected to become the 88,000 new recruits the industry is seeking a year over the next five years.

Recent research carried out by ConstructionSkills has shown that despite girls themselves being keen to break the gender stereotypes prevalent within the construction industry, 70% of 2,400 11 to 18-year-olds felt there was a clear gender bias against girls in the careers advice they were given. Two in five girls felt they were limited in terms of the options they were given at school simply because they were girls and almost one-third said they had been actively discouraged from studying certain subjects at school and beyond on the basis of their gender.

It would not seem unreasonable to assume that the training body, Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), a partner in ConstructionSkills, is simply not delivering in its efforts to attract more graduates and young workers into the industry. Reportedly charging clients at top level a £3m bill for services per year, if numbers are down this implies the industry does not get a lot back from the CITB and the industry still puts out a poor image to young people. Perhaps in an attempt to eschew negative backlash from women currently working in the industry, it was concluded at the BCO conference that until the poor image and the prevailing culture and behaviour within the industry hanges and the grunt is taken out of current anual work practices through modern onstruction methods, the industry will not ttract the talent and skills needed to deliver uture projects. Essentially, significant nmbers of women would not be attracted to the industry until site practices and culture radically change.

Echoed in Gordon Brown’s budget, which announced proposals to get women into industries in which they are currently underrepresented, the call for change was clear. As a result, ConstructionSkills launched its television advertising campaign Positive Image in April this year, aimed to attract young people, women in particular, to jobs in construction and the built environment.

Introduced at the same time as the construction industry announced an annual total of 88,000 jobs on offer, a fundamental objective of the campaign is to give young women better information and advice regarding their possible place within the industry in roles as diverse as CAD designer and town planner to stonemason and engineer. A sensible if not long overdue decision considering recent figures show a 23% of women as first-year under-graduates on construction-related courses, with the percentage of women even higher in some subjects, for example, in Town & Country Planning (41%), Environmental Technologies (40%) and Architecture (31%).

Paul Sykes, CITB-ConstructionSkills Recruitment Manager, told B&E: “Through our work with young people in schools, a national recruitment campaign - Positive Image - and the continued success of our managing agency, we can show significant progress in encouraging young people, and particularly young women, to consider construction as a career. Last year CITB-ConstructionSkills saw a 25% increase in applications for its apprenticeships and applications to buildingdegree courses were up almost 20%.”

The organisation is concentrating heavily on the role of careers advisors, urging them to change the ways that they are advising young people in order that the industry is presented accurately and those being advised are aware of the diverse roles that modern industries such as construction have to offer.

“Of course, it’s no easy task to change the image of the industry, particularly when we are hampered by exponents of outdated ideas about the role of women in the industry,” added Sykes. “Having more women in the industry will challenge outdated perceptions of what it’s like to work in construction so it is pleasing that in 2004 and 2005, almost one-third of new starters taking degree courses in architecture, building and planning were female, and over a third of applicants to our Inspire Scholarships scheme are from women.”

The CITB told B&E in June that the industry is likely to employ more women as it meets an anticipated demand for more managers; a theory the National Association of Women in Construction is keen to support and one that seems to be proving true.

During the past month alone leading homes developer Stewart Milne Homes has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Jacquie Forbes as new development director, a position she worked her way up to from design architect over 17 years. Construction and management consultancy, Currie and Brown, has reinforced its corporate real estate team with the appointment of Hilary Robson as divisional director. With 13 years experience working in private practice Robson will oversee the delivery of cost consultancy services for the redevelopment of BBC’s Broadcasting House.

There are clearly diverse possibilities for women in the construction industry and the examples given show no magic formula; as with any other company or industry, loyalty coupled with expertise will guarantee promotion and success regardless of gender.

It seems the main area in which the “grunt” in construction is considered most rampant by society today is the trades, though women are making inroads into these as well thanks to open minded training bodies and a wider scope of college courses. Elizabeth Kitson, a 46-year-old mother of two won last year’s apprentice of the year award from the 400-year-old Worshipful Company of Plasterers, after finishing her NVQ Level 3 at Burnley College. Similarly, Kirsty O’Callaghan is a plumbing apprentice at the college and has been nominated by her tutors to receive a national award from the Learning and Skills Council in recognition of her dedication and personal achievements.

In order to change the traditionally male culture prevalent in today’s construction industry and remove stereotypes that already appear unnecessary, the advice given to young women embarking on their chosen career path needs to modernise and employers need to react appropriately to these changes – changes that evidence shows have already begun to take shape.

Recently, Speedy Hire and Makita announced a partnership with Women Builders, the building company that employs the largest female construction workforce in the UK. In announcing the partnership, Peter Buchan, managing director for Speedy Hire (Eastern) said: “Speedy Hire recognises the valuable role Women Builders plays in promoting equality and we are only too happy to support those wanting to further a career in the construction industry regardless of their gender.”

In the same vane, building maintenance firm Jackson Lloyd has just appointed a Women’s Ambassador as part of a new initiative to attract North-West women into the industry in response to ambitious plans for rapid sustainable growth over the next four years.

In order to meet the needs of an expanding construction market such initiatives are imperative and the future of a more equal industry looks bright. Out of the 2m employees currently working in construction, less than 190,000 are women, considering women represent 45% of the working population this represents a serious deficit. However, though at present women amount to only 10% of the construction workforce, signs show this number will consistently increase.

The network of female role models within the industry that desperately need to be recognised by future generations is growing, as is the amount of forums promoting women within the industry such as Women’s Education in Building and Women and Manual Trade. Fingers crossed, such specialist support agencies combined with positive action by clients and companies alike should provide the much needed career advice and opportunities for women interested in the built environment – hold on to your (hard) hats lads, the women are coming.