Women are the key to the construction industryís future

Looking at what employers can do to encourage women to become tradespeople, the report challenges the industry to take a fresh look at solving its skills shortage.

Construction is Britainís biggest industry, with government spending signalling a buoyant future. But it is future threatened by a skills gap. Despite this, the industry remains reluctant to tap into the potential that women offer. At present, only 1% of the industryís modern apprentices are women and an even smaller proportion are employed as tradespeople (14,500 tradeswomen in 2002.)

Two million people currently work in the industry, which provides a tenth of the UKís domestic product. Nevertheless, a recent report estimated that 48% of vacancies advertised in 2003 were for positions where there were skills shortages.

What is the industry doing to address this and how is it tackling the problem of building sites as no-go areas for women? Some employers are taking positive steps to attract and retain women staff, according EOR (Equal Opportunities Review).

Using Durkan Ltd as a case study, EOR looks at the implications of employing more women in the construction industry - examining pay, conditions and customer feedback, as well as recruitment and retention issues.
Key findings:

Durkan Ltd has focused on women as a major resource to address the major shortage in skilled trades. The companyís commitment to training and employing women has been endorsed by the entire board of directors. Fundamental to the companyís culture change was the appointment of a community liaison officer who, with the support of the directors, is responsible for ensuring that the strategy for recruiting and employing women actually works.

The community liaison officer provides important support for site managers and women workers. Key to the success of the companyís policy is the contractual requirement on subcontractors to comply with Durkanís equal opportunities employment policy, and to work with their apprentices and improvers, including women. Durkan Ltd has a policy of zero tolerance to sexist and racist behaviour, and subcontractors who behave inappropriately are removed from the site. Durkan also aims to offer the best working practices, such as flexible working, in order to attract workers of both sexes.

Employing women has resulted in benefits for the company: positive publicity, which has boosted their brand image; meeting the cultural ethos of client organisations; and appealing to the growing number of women managers who are in a position to offer building contracts.

While the number of women employed remains low, progress is being made at Durkan; and by participating in outreach activities, they continue to encourage more women and girls to go into this traditionally male industry.

EOR researcher and report author, Carol Foster said:
ìThe tiny minority of female workers within the construction industry have already proved that they are good at their job. The challenge for employers and other employees is to overcome the stereotypes that women donít belong on a building site. Durkan has successfully included women in their training and employment strategy and demonstrated that the decision has been good for business. With such a clear win-win situation for an employer, itís time for the industry to take a fresh look at solving its skills crisis.î

EOR (Equal Opportunities Review) is published by LexisNexis UK. Published monthly and available on subscription, EOR is the only source of information, which brings together law and practice on all strands of discrimination. It provides independent and authoritative explanation and analysis of trends and developments in equal opportunities and diversity.

An annual subscription (12 issues) costs 301 UK / 336 Overseas. Please contact Kate Backler on 020 7400 2657 or www.lexisnexis.co.uk for more information.