Women into Construction (WiC) have won backing from the Construction Industry Training Board to launch a brand new initiative to address the construction gender skills gap.

WiC is an independent not-for-profit organization promoting gender equality in construction, with a growing membership supported by industry, local councils and training organisations. 

Their new initiative Moving on Up is described as a pioneering two-year programme which will see WiC recruiting 20 new companies – on top of the dozens they already co-operate with –  and provide targeted training and support. At the same time 40 women already working within construction, but still in low pay, will receive mentoring and support to progress within the industry.

Launching the initiative, WiC managing director Kath Moore, said: “This is a programme with no cost to companies or individuals and will pave the way for the diversity that is key to the construction industry’s future. It comes at a time when the industry is struggling to recruit, yet falls at the first hurdle as it struggles with employing, training and promoting suitable, qualified and talented women.”

Moving on Up is funded by the Construction Industry Training Board and Trust for London. Sarah Beale, CITB’s chief executive, said: “CITB welcomes the opportunity to support companies in developing strategies to tackle the gender pay gap, assisting them to recruit and retain more women within the workforce, and to support their supervisors with being effective mentors/sponsors. We will also be supporting women already within construction with career progression.”

The new programme adds to WiC’s already-impressive record of addressing the gender gap in the building industry: since 2008 WiC has supported more than 2,000 women with advice on careers in the construction industry, 1,500 with construction related training, and over 800 into paid employment. An independent Social Return on Investment report found that for every £1 invested in the work of Women Into Construction, £6 worth of social value is generated.

For further information and recruitment material for companies and women interested in signing up to the Moving on Up programme, email: ripha.begum@women-into-construction.org