More essential than ever to attract women to construction

July 13, 2021 / Keith Osborne
More essential than ever to attract women to construction

Kevin O’Connor, head of social responsibility and inclusion, on Durkan’s support for women in construction.

From a policy perspective, a new year heralded a new start for social value in the workplace. The government’s Procurement Policy Note (PPN), released in January, kicked off by introducing a new model for commercial bodies to follow, before housebuilders and contractors were pulled in more directly the following month by the UK Green Building Council. The latter’s Framework for Social Value in the Built Environment promises a new focus on ensuring we make our sites and other workplaces better for everyone. It does, however, offer a broad definition of social value which requires some interpretation for those on the ground.

So, what does delivering real social value actually mean? According to government, it’s about tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, even restoring normality post Covid-19.

For me however the most poignant area of focus is on the role of equal opportunity – and better gender balance, in delivering social value – not least because Covid-19 has hit women harder in terms of employment than it has done men.

The issue is compounded by a recent report from The Women and Equalities Committee that highlights how women are traditionally under-represented in the very sectors that have been singled out for future government investment. This includes construction, and it’s fair to say that the sector’s record doesn’t start from a position of strength. Despite concerted efforts in recent years, women still make up under 10% of the construction workforce and Covid-19 has only heightened the issue. We must redouble our collective efforts, but how?

In the part it has been the purview of local authority procurement teams to stipulate percentage targets for companies to hit when it comes to increasing female representation in the workplace, but this alone doesn’t always deliver the desired result. In the current climate there is now, more than ever before, the chance for the private sector to step forward as an equal partner in making a difference and attracting a new wave of talent into construction.

It’s this public-private partnership approach that is our first port of call at Durkan. In all of our work we take every opportunity to collaborate with public sector partners because it strengthens our developments – giving us additional knowledge and expertise to bring about the best possible end product for the local community. Social value can be viewed by the same principle. Our efforts to bring women into construction are only strengthened by the insight of housing associations and councils’ skills and employment teams, while their jobs are made easier by securing clear commitments from private companies to bring more women onto their sites.

Training programmes, in particular, can benefit from this collaborative approach. Risk is reduced for private sector partners, with the quality of trainees assured by the council, meaning retention problems are less likely to be a concern. The individuals themselves are more likely to find full-time employment at the end of their programme, and the local authorities see a reduction in unemployment and greater social value and mobility in their areas. It’s a win-win-win.

At Durkan we’re proud to have used this approach to great effect as part of our work with Southern Housing Group at Lisgar Terrace, creating a new funding mechanism which facilitates work experience for women returners. Using funds from Lisgar we’ve been able to provide benefits at a range of sites, using this money to cover waged work placements and keeping the roles flexible, to accommodate childcare needs. To date this has helped four mothers return to work, and we hope to increase that number soon.

Women are still drastically underrepresented in construction, despite efforts in recent years to change this. To make real progress we have to encourage greater collaboration between all those committed to making this inequality a thing of the past. Stronger agreements and more ambitious programmes developed by public and private sector partners will breed success – and with a greater pool of talent on offer thanks to the job cuts caused by Covid-19, there has never been a better – or more important time to ramp up our activity.

Did you like this? Share it: