​Our partners are behind #CHOOSETOCHALLENEGE in support of International Women's Day 2021. by placing the spotlight on the strong and talented women currently succeeding within the industry, they hope to inspire the next generation.

Remember you can use the toolkit to work through the resources on these pages.

Historically, there is an unconscious bias of the Construction Industry amongst young people as being male-dominated. With few women choosing to apply to join the industry every year, this means there is approximately 2% of Modern Apprenticeships within Construction being started by women.

Threaded throughout Build Your Future, we have sought to provide exposure to a range of skills and roles that young women may have never considered. In order to address and increase gender diversity in the industry, in this section, we shine the spotlight!

In this conversation we are joined by five incredibly different women, working within the Built Environment, for a discussion on career pathways, skills development and what it's really like being a woman in an industry frequently perceived as being a 'man's world'.

Anyone thinking of joining the sector, or currently within it, will likely gain something from this episode. 

Thanks to Forth Valley College, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Lime Centre Trust, SPAB, ​and Stirling City Heritage Trust.
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Discussion starters and activities to use with this film can be found in the Build Your Future Toolkit.

Below, our industry partners have highlighted some of the career insight that highly skilled women within their organisations have provided. Here, we highlight some of the great activity and interesting insight​ that takes place to support encouraging women into the industry. 

Click on the image opposite to download the Women in Construction Career Profiles from our partners. In this section of the Careers Profile Pack you can find relevant insight from: 
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• Dr Rachael Purse, Grants & Outreach Officer at Stirling City Heritage Trust
• Tyler Lott, BEFS Trustee and former Scotland Officer of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings 
• Cristina Gaiger, Architect with Helen Lucas Architects Ltd and President of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)
• Dorothy Hoskins, Technical Outreach & Education Manager, Historic Environment Scotland
• Josephine Crossland, Freelance Stone carver with Hutton stone
• Ashley Stewart, Framework Manager/Development Lead at Morrison Construction
• ​​Shakira Caird, Assistant Quantity Surveyor at ISG Construction Scotland
• Mhairi Turnbull, Operations Manager at Robertson Group​​

​You can access the full Build Your Future Career Profiles Pack on our resources page.

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Stonemason

Blacksmith

Trainee Buyer

Go Construct, Pride & Joy: Women

Health & Safety Manager

Balfour Beatty: Our Expert Women

Visit the Balfour Beatty 'Our Expert Women' You Tube Playlist for some short insight of projects as told by women in the company.

Hear from Engineers, the Senior Associate Director of Balfour Investments, Environment Construction Manager, Visual Design Team Leader, Virtual Reality and a Trainee Quantity Surveyor.

She who dares, wins

Michelle is an Engineer who shares her experiences of being a woman in construction via social media. Below are a few films from her You Tube channel She Who Dares, Wins that we have chosen to highlight however there is a wealth of insight in her playlists for anyone interested in exploring in more depth. 

“This is an excellent opportunity for the sector to showcase the wide range of opportunities and highlight the varied pathways in and through the sector.  Those working in construction will help shape the built environment, lead the charge for a low carbon future and work in as a sector where innovation and technology is central. Having a diverse and talented workforce is essential as the sector works to meet new challenges.”

Elaine Ellis, Skills Planning Manager - Construction and other Industries, Skills Development Scotland