WOMEN are being targeted...

...by the building industry in a bid to get more females into construction.

Campaigns by both Construction-Skills and a joint initiative by Training for Women's Network (TWN) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) want to break the stereotype of building as ‘man's work'.

TWN and CITB recently helda Women In Construction seminar at the Hilton Hotel in Templepatrick, hosted by Wendy Austin.

The event, attended by 100 women, either working in or looking for jobs in construction, provided a forum to discuss the issues affecting them.

CITB new entrant manager, Catherine McGready, said: "Construction is moving with the times and a large number of women are currently employed in the industry and studying for futures within con-struction.

"The timing of this seminar links in with ConstructionSkills' year-long Positive Image campaign, which shows young people, particularly women, how they can ‘Make Their Mark' by joining the in-dustry."

And Graham Davis, managing director of Clients and Entrepreneurship at Invest NI, one of the bodies supporting the event, said: "An imbalance currently exists in terms of the number of women engaged in enterprise. However, seminars like this are helping to re-address this problem for the benefit of our whole economy."

And to back up the initiative, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Councils for the construction industry, has launched a L1m TV advertising campaign aimed at reaching over 7,000 young people in Northern Ireland over the next three years.

The move is a response to claims from teenage girls that outdated careers advice is letting them down.

And the TV adverts will show young women they can ‘Make Their Mark' by defying the male-dominated image of construction. It will highlight iconic buildings, such as the GLA in London, Cornwall's Eden Project and the ‘armadillo' SECC building in Glasgow — making heroes of the people who have been involved in their con-struction.

ConstructionSkills' findings revealed that over two thirds of the 11 to 18-year-old girls questioned said they felt there was a gender bias, despite the girls being keen to take on traditional male careers.

Lesley Wallis, director of Training Operations for CITB NI, said: "There are job opportunities for almost 8,000 new construction recruits in Northern Ireland over the next three years to work on major projects including schools, retail developments, roads and new hospitals, with projects including the Victoria Square retail scheme in Belfast and the upgrade of the Westlink."

Ms Wallis said CITB's research showed that young women want to work in construction, with more applications than ever.

Source: The Independent


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