Women in Construction Action Network

Project Background

The Action Network is providing valuable access to training that will help to facilitate ‘job readiness’ and proactively encourage network opportunities for women working in the construction industry in the North West. It will also provide a valuable source of information for those women wishing to find out more about entering the industry.

The Action Network and Website has been developed and is managed by CCI and is part of a wider project – The Women & Work: Sector Pathways initiative, funded by ConstructionSkills.

(For more information on the Centre for Construction Innovation please go to About Us.)

ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the industry, took part in the government funded Women and Work: Sector Pathways Initiative. The project aims to help get women into work in construction, but also to help women already working in the sector to get further training in order to develop their careers. Key goals are to not only improve recruitment of women, but to address retention and career progression issues.

Activities include:

1. Routes to employment for women new to the sector.
2. Graduates assisted by a programme of support mechanisms to aid retention within the sector and progression to professional status within a construction related career
3. Tradeswomen receiving training and support for setting up businesses and becoming self employed within the construction sector to increase their earning potential.
4. Women on apprenticeships benefiting from a programme of support mechanisms to assist in retention of females on apprenticeships and thus impact on the numbers of tradeswomen in the future.
5. Clerical and Admin workers receiving training and support to move into craft, technical and professional roles within the construction sector.
6. Up-skilling opportunities to encourage and assist in the progression of women to a more senior role within construction.

Each woman to benefit from the programme will follow a personal development plan and receive support and encouragement from her employer and other organisations.