NCBF are proud supporters of International Women’s Day 2022! The theme this year is to ‘Break The Bias’. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough. Action is needed to level the playing field.
We caught up with some of the women in construction at NCBF member companies who are trying to change that, along with their male colleagues, to encourage women into this exciting sector and show that there’s an equal workforce on the horizon.
Angela Carney, Managing Director, Carney Consultancy
Q. Can you tell us about your role as a woman in construction?
I run Carney Consultancy, I set it up 2 weeks before I had my son 20 years ago due to being discriminated against as they wouldn’t let me return to Site Management after I had Harry and It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me; it took me a few years to realise that there is always a silver lining, you just have to really, really look for it.
Q. How difficult have you found it to succeed in what is still a male dominated environment?
In 2016, we had six H&S consultants five men and me. I was starting to get really fed up of being the only woman so decided to recruit a trainee. I proved that having someone part time worked and adding a woman to the team made the dynamics better. Today we are employing in the technical roles men and women. I also wanted to give women the opportunity they were struggling to get elsewhere, to showcase that part time working does work in the construction industry.
Q. Have any women positively impacted you in your career? What’s one lesson she taught you?
Probably my grandmother, who is 100 this year and was a doctor in the second world war, so it’s safe to say I come from a line of very strong, often described as stroppy, yet determined women. If anyone tells me I can’t do something I will prove them wrong, its how I became a very good cook and it’s how I have lasted 32 years in this industry growing Carney Consultancy from me to 14 people. People underestimated me at the start, they thought I was a little tin pot outfit who was never going to be a concern, we now have 166 retained H&S consultancy clients which I believe makes us one of, if not the largest, H&S construction consultancy in the North East. Never underestimate me!
Q. What advice do you have for women starting out in construction careers?
Be you, not what you think people want you to be. Remember qualifications got you where you are but its personality that I believe really gets you where you want to be. I am constantly reading to learn more. The book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence people’ is an absolute bible for me.
Be a better listener, I can talk for England but I know listening is something I need to improve. My current favourite book is ‘Think Like a Monk’ by Jay Shetty. Listening and reading things like this help me far more in managing people.
Q. What do you think the industry could do more of to support women in construction through their careers?
It’s not just construction it’s across the board. If you look back to the 50’s to now, women are largely doing what they were doing then and also working now, often full time. Women are just fantastic! Most women I speak to in the industry who are established and competent at their jobs and at the stage of considering a family will tell me they think about leaving because their employers are rubbish with flexible working around family. I think allowing women the opportunity to work flexibly would attract and retain more. The industry is still far too traditional with the Monday – Friday in the office 9 to 5 – wake up!! Time has moved on.
Q. How do you think we can inspire the next generation of women to work in construction related roles?
Show them women actually here in the North East who are already working in positions higher up so they can see it is possible to reach whatever level they are striving for. We run a Design and Build Programme with year 9 girls using only women from industry so they can see women in these roles. We need to change the perception of the industry. My aim now for my remaining career is to support the younger generation coming through our business to fulfill their potential, people are far more capable than they realise you just have to show them so they believe more.
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Leigh Chelton, Business Development Manager, Surgo
Q. Can you tell us about your role as a woman in construction?
In my role, it is my responsibility to create awareness about our business and where Surgo fits in the construction landscape in the North East, to ensure that we get as many tender opportunities (of the right kind) as possible.
Q. What drew you to work in the industry?
Having spent many years as a PR consultant working closely with a raft of clients across construction, including architects, design engineers and contractors, it was an industry that had always interested me. I find it fascinating that there are so many aspects to getting a project from someone’s imagination to become a living breathing building that people occupy.
As a naïve youngster I probably thought that someone (architect) drew a picture of how the building should look then a builder (Surgo) would go off and build it. I now realise the process is way more sophisticated and complex than that and it involves a lot of people.
Q. What’s your proudest career achievement so far?
Getting James Wharton MP and the leader at the time of the Northern Powerhouse, to be the key-note speaker at the launch of Construction Alliance North East (CAN). The client wanted him, so I approached him directly at another event and he agreed. There is nothing like putting someone on the spot. He proved to be a popular guest speaker, with many people attending the launch event, so I felt pretty chuffed with that outcome because he was quite sought after at the time.
Q. How difficult have you found it to succeed in what is still a male dominated environment?
That depends on how you measure success. Personally, I feel it has been straight forward and I put that down to a couple of factors. Firstly, I think having a genuine interest and broad understanding of construction has helped because I feel I’m able to talk to my male counterparts on a similar level i.e. I understand the terminology. Secondly, I’m quite a confident person with, dare I say, a ‘forceful’ (some might say, bossy) character so I’m not easily put off and not afraid to ask ‘daft’ questions when I don’t know something, and I think that is appreciated.
Q. Have any women positively impacted you in your career? What’s one lesson she taught you?
Anna Smith! One of my first sales jobs was selling space in a free newspaper and Anna, a former model, was the sales director. She used to say that if you take a genuine interest in people and remember what they told you when you last met it makes it easier to develop a rapport and they’ll be happy to meet with you again and again. She was right.
Q. What advice do you have for women starting out in construction careers?
Don’t fear the industry, or the men within it. Most of them want to see more women in construction and are supportive of their female peers.
Q. What do you think the industry could do more of to support women in construction through their careers?
Treat them as equals and don’t patronise them. However, personally, I feel strongly that women should succeed on their own merit and not because of some quota.
Q. How do you think we can inspire the next generation of women to work in construction related roles?
Start young e.g., unless someone in your family is a QS or a PM then you don’t know what the jobs entail and what opportunities come with them. We need to be ‘selling’ the industry, and the breadth of careers within it, to school children as early as possible. This probably requires greater engagement from companies like Surgo, but it should also come from schools and careers advisers in education by assigning a construction champion who can talk to students about the industry.
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Becky Cook, Quantity Surveyor, Sendrig Construction
Q. Can you tell us about your role as a woman in construction?
I am involved in numerous projects from small maintenance & refurbishment works to large scale developments.
Q. What drew you to work in the industry?
I have always had an interest in architecture and construction. I remember when I was younger I would question how buildings are constructed and what better way to learn than to pursue a career in construction. I think the best thing about this industry is that regardless of your experience there will always be something new to learn.
Q. How difficult have you found it to succeed in what is still a male dominated environment?
All the companies I have worked for have been very accepting of women so I have never thought of being a woman as a barrier to success.
Q. Have any women positively impacted you in your career? What’s one lesson she taught you?
My mum! She has always taught me to work hard and enjoy myself along the way.
Q. What advice do you have for women starting out in construction careers?
Be confident!
Q. How do you think we can inspire the next generation of women to work in construction related roles?
When I was younger, I didn’t know about the many different jobs within the construction industry. I hadn’t heard of quantity surveying until I was in sixth form and sometimes even now when I am asked about my career, some people are unaware of the role of a QS! It is important to promote construction within schools to make young people aware of the different jobs within construction.
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Kaylee Walker, Administrator/Trainee Quantity Surveyor, VEST Construction
Q. Can you tell us about your role as a woman in construction?
Every day is different! My daily tasks vary from responding to emails and attending progress meetings to liaising with subcontractors, preparing estimates and site visits amongst other duties.
Q. What drew you to work in the industry?
My dad had a building business so I have grown up surrounded by builders and have always been passionate about working in the construction industry.
Q. What’s your proudest career achievement so far?
The proudest moment of my career this far is achieving two distinctions and two merits in year one of my HNC in building studies. I hope there are many more achievements to come.
Q. How difficult have you found it to succeed in what is still a male dominated environment?
It is undoubtedly not the “norm” yet, but gender does not determine ability. It can be challenge in some aspects of the job but hopefully as I progress in my career the rewarding nature of the job will outweigh this.
Q. Have any women positively impacted you in your career? What’s one lesson she taught you?
I would say that every woman I have worked with has impacted my career and taught me that being a woman is a strength.
Q. What advice do you have for women starting out in construction careers?
There’s no time like the present. I actively encourage more women to join the construction industry to help break the stigma.
Q. What do you think the industry could do more of to support women in construction through their careers?
I think the world has changed a lot as more women join the industry but only 13% of the industry is female. I understand that a big challenge for many women working in the industry is the lack of flexible working hours.
Q. How do you think we can inspire the next generation of women to work in construction related roles?
I believe the younger generation should be educated about the wide variety of construction roles and shown women actively working in them.
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If you have been inspired by this article and would like information on starting a career in the construction industry, then the following links may be useful: