OCTOBER 2019 | 27
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4. Address the
gender imbalance 5. Embrace modern
methods of construction
Part of the problem is that
construction is a historically
male-dominated industry. Be-
tween 2007 and 2016, reports
found that the number of women
workers in construction only rose
by 0.7%, resulting in an incredibly
low 12.8% total. But it’s not just
workers in the industry, near-
ly half of construction workers
claimed that they have never had
a female manager.
Whatever the role, women
in construction are being over-
looked. As women make up half
of the population, it seems crazy
that the industry is ignoring so
much potential talent that it
sorely needs to help fill the skills
gap.
Educating female students is a
crucial step that companies need
to take, as only 22% currently
work with schools to help break
the stigma of construction. But
it’s not just about attracting more
women to the industry — com-
panies need to make sure they’re
not ignoring their current talent
due to their gender. For example,
the international infrastructure
group Balfour Beatty has taken
strides to address gender inequal-
ity by introducing an initiative to
support women through career
breaks for childcare. The government has already
been warned by the Housing,
Communities and Local Govern-
ment Committee that an over-re-
liance on traditional building
methods will see the UK fall short
of its home-building targets.
To keep the industry on target,
construction companies need to
look outside the norm and em-
brace more modern techniques.
From off-site construction, manu-
facturing and assembly to modular
constructions, there are a number
of avenues companies can take to
improve efficiency while maintain-
ing quality.
“The construction industry is
always changing,” says Daniel Ure
from online PPE retailer Vizwear.
“We’re constantly seeing exciting
new innovations that allow us to
work smarter and more efficient-
ly.”
“In order to make the most of
new industry methods, it’s vital
that new talent is found to close
the skills gap. Construction is still
trying to shake off its past image,
but by pooling its resources into
educating and training future gen-
erations and current talent, the in-
dustry can ensure it’s recruiting the
right workers to hit its targets.”
www.vizwear.com
Skills