More and more women are entering the construction industry each year – how can we keep talented women working in the industry?
Who do you think of when you think of a ‘construction worker?’ Do you think of a man or a woman? In the past, many of us would be more likely to think of a man – as the industry used to be significantly male dominated. However, this has been changing over the past few years, and many women are proving that they have got what it takes – and transforming how women are seen on-site.
1 in 14 people worldwide work in construction – it is one of the largest industries in the world. With an industry so large, which includes so many different roles, it is important that everyone should have the ability to be able to enter the industry if they choose. Construction has a lot to offer, and women have a lot to offer to the industry too and only in recent times have more and more women have started to sign up. Despite all the efforts that people are making to encourage women in construction, many young women still feel as if this career path isn’t accessible for them.
Over the next 10 years, we will need many different skills and personalities. To be specific, the UK needs 937,000 new recruits throughout the next decade in order to be able to keep up with demand. To be able to find all of the new recruits that the industry needs, we need to reach out to people who may not have previously considered a construction career – especially women.
By reaching out to new groups of people, the construction industry will be more able to find the right people with the right skills to help close the skills gap – and the recruitment process has already begun.
How Many Women Work In Construction Right Now?
You might be surprised at this statistic – but as of 2023, 15% of the construction workforce is female. This has risen considerably since the pandemic – just before 2020, the percentage of women in the construction industry was at 12%. Women are starting to choose construction careers more and more!
There are many reasons why this number has increased. Firstly, it is no secret that in the past construction used to be a male dominated industry. However, through the pandemic many of the older men have retired – which has altered the gender ratio slightly. Secondly, less male school leavers are entering the industry compared to previous generations. It seems that fewer Gen-Z males are choosing to enter the industry than seen in previous generations, which is contributing to the spike in female construction workers. Finally, it seems as if more women are choosing to enter the industry – and evidence shows that many women are doing so straight after graduation. This indicates a huge change in generational attitudes towards the construction industry, particularly from young women.
That’s why we’re choosing to get involved with groups aimed at promoting women in construction – to be a part of the change. Promoting the advancement of women throughout construction will help us to achieve more, and ensure the industry continues to move with the times. This helps us gain new perspectives and utilise a wider range of skills.
As more women start to become increasingly involved within the construction industry, it’s important that all new recruits, male and female, are supported as much as possible. This way, we can all contribute to a modern construction industry.
Which Areas Are Women Working In?
Interestingly, current studies show that women are taking job roles in a wide range of different areas in construction. Women are working in administrative roles, to working in larger scale engineering and architecture, as well as working in occupational trades on-site. However, recent research from the ONS suggests that out of 710,300 construction tradespeople, only 11,800 were women as of March 2023. This shows that the majority of on-site construction workers are men, with under 2% of the workers being women. From this data, we can see that women are more likely to engage with project management roles, administration, and other office-based roles within the industry.
In fact, the same study recorded that no female groundworkers or stonemasons were recorded in the year – and there were so few female carpenters that the ONS could not estimate how many there were.
Despite this, this doesn’t mean that women aren’t doing any occupational roles on-site – 24,000 women are bricklayers, roofers, and scaffolders. Women make up 5% of all bricklayers, roofers and scaffolders – which is significantly more than other trades.
No matter the area of construction that they’re in, the number of women in construction is on the rise – and is predicted to rise even more over the next decade. The amount of young women in the UK who have chosen construction and engineering apprenticeships has risen by 366% over the past 5 years alone. With the rate at which women are entering the construction industry, it wouldn’t be surprising if the percentage of women in construction grows at a very fast rate over the next decade.
Providing the right training opportunities to women at every level of the construction industry, as well as investing in professional development, will be key to encouraging more women to join up.
What are DMR doing to support women in construction?
At DMR, we constantly look for ways in which we can further advance the construction industry – whether that’s through promoting green and eco construction work, or supporting increased diversity throughout the industry. There are many ways in which we can support women entering the industry and ensuring that we keep talented people working with us. According to Simian, there are four major ways that we can encourage women to stay engaged and working within the construction industry.
The first way is to encourage more women and girls to engage with the construction industry and take it seriously as a future potential career. There are many ways that this can be achieved, such as outreach programs to attract the right skills needed throughout the industry. Furthermore, highlighting successful women within the industry and making careers development more accessible will also help us bring talented people to the industry. At DMR, we ensure to do our bit with outreach, by talking to schools and groups in the local community about careers in construction, and that it’s available to everyone. By doing this work in the local community, we can promote the construction industry to a wider, more diverse range of people and close the skills gap.
Another key way in which we can retain more women in the construction industry is to put an end to stereotyping. In an industry which has been historically male dominated, it’s important that we break down any stereotypes that may still be left over from the past. For example, many women unfortunately assume that there is no place for them in the construction industry.
However, by highlighting the many women that are currently working in the industry and ensuring that companies are fighting discrimination, we can start to improve this. Our office workforce at DMR is mainly female, and many of us are Women in Construction ambassadors. By demonstrating that women have a place in construction, we can retain talented women in the industry.
The third point that Simian has raised when it comes to retaining female talent in construction is through promoting a culture of equality throughout every sector in the industry. There isn’t one set way that this can be achieved – however, one of the key ways is implementing policy procedures that would prevent gender discrimination in the workplace. For example, appointing safeguarding officers would enable anyone to feel more comfortable voicing their concerns. Fostering a culture of inclusivity through changing the conversation surrounding construction will also be essential when it comes to promoting equal opportunities in the industry. One way that you can do this within your business is to have open and honest discussions about what to do when faced with gender discrimination in the workplace.
Finally, investing in training and mentorship programmes is also one of the best ways that you can give women the tools to stay in the construction industry. When women have access to the industry through training programmes and development courses, they will be far more likely to choose construction as a long-term career. Apprenticeships, college courses, introductory courses and NVQs are all essential when it comes to ensuring that all construction workers feel secure in their careers. Allowing all construction workers to have the opportunity to boost their career and earn more money by having the access to the right qualifications.
There are many ways that women in construction can access the right educational opportunities and qualifications that will help them boost their career going forward. For example, apprenticeships and engineering degrees are some of the most popular ways that women are entering the industry. Furthermore, occupational NVQs are also available to help all people on-site transfer their skills into a qualification that will help them achieve CSCS cards and better work on-site. However, in order to close the skills gap in construction, we need to find new ways to reach women who might enjoy and thrive in a construction career.
Our Women In Construction Course
Opening the door for women to enter the construction industry is one of the most important ways we can diversify the industry and close the skills gap. In order to encourage more women to stay in the industry and have the opportunity to kick start their career, transitional courses should be available that will help women to enter the industry – especially in areas that are affected by the skills gap. Assisting women with the right training and guidance and giving them useful construction skills is essential when it comes to creating a more modern construction industry.
That’s why we’re currently running a workshop exclusively for women wanting to break into the world of construction – and you could be eligible to enrol! Over 12 weeks, you will learn essential skills that will help to gain access to work on-site – in one of the areas of construction most affected by the skills gap. Retrofit work is one of the worst areas affected by the growing skills gap, which involves fitting older homes with energy-saving measures such as insulation, solar panelling, and double-glazing. In order for the country to meet our energy-efficiency goals, 29 million homes will need retrofit work by 2050. This means we need people with retrofit skills to come into the industry as soon as possible.
On this course, learners will spend 12 weeks learning more about retrofit and how it will benefit the country in the years to come. Alongside learning key skills that will allow learners to gain access to retrofit work after the course, health and safety on-site will also be taught. After the course, learners will have their Level 1 qualification in Health and Safety Assessment as well as a Level 2 qualification in Understanding Domestic Retrofit. This means that everyone who completes the course will be able to apply for their green CSCS card – getting them on-site and in vital labourer roles.
This course will help many women get their foot in the door of the construction industry and start building a long career in construction. Courses like this are fundamental to closing the skills gap and encouraging people who are interested in construction to join the industry.
If you’re interested in our Women in Construction course and would like some more information, you can get in contact with us right here.
Taking The NVQ
As well as introductory courses, women can also boost their career through taking the NVQ through on-site assessment. Many construction workers take the NVQ after a couple of years learning and working in their current trade, and are assessed during the working day.
This can be useful for many people, as well as women, who may not have the time to take an NVQ on top of other commitments. If you’ve been working on-site for a while, you could have the opportunity to prove your competency through on-site assessment. Furthermore, you may even be able to receive your NVQ fully funded. Depending on your age and where you live, we have funding opportunities available in many different areas across the UK which will help you cover the costs of an NVQ!
We have many Level 2 and 3 qualifications available in a variety of trades, such as:
For a full list of the construction NVQs currently available, click here for a full comprehensive list of every qualification we offer.
We also offer a Level 6 in Construction Supervision, for more experienced workers who are looking to develop their career.
Going Forward
In order to encourage growth within the construction industry to match the need for infrastructure development, we will need to attract new talent and invest in the skills of all UK construction workers.
Courses such as the Women in Construction 12 week course are instrumental to developing and retaining talented individuals and closing vital skills gaps, allowing the country to reach its goals. Accessible education is one of the best ways to ensure that the construction industry continues to grow – and we’re proud to be one of the providers helping people access education.
If you’re interested in our Women in Construction course, or any of our other NVQs for you or your staff, please make sure to get in contact with us here – one of our team will be in touch as soon as possible!
Furthermore, if you’d like more information about the extensive list of the NVQs we provide, how we help businesses and individuals boost their careers, or what we do to help our local area – you can click the links above, or follow us on all of our socials!
