‘Help us promote construction as career for women’ plea to educators

A leading Midlands housebuilder is calling for more to be done to encourage girls and women to consider a career in construction as a new mentoring scheme gets under way.

Sophie Horgan, director of Horgan Homes, said schools, colleges and the industry needed to change the narrative around construction to increase the number of females in the industry and avoid a huge waste of potential talent.

Sophie is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ female leaders in construction, spearheading the I Am A Housebuilder campaign launched by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for SME housebuilders. The campaign sees women wanting to go into construction matched with female mentors.

She said: “By far the biggest problem we have in recruiting women is that so many are still not aware that construction is a career path that is open to them. It is still assumed that building is something that boys do, and we really need everyone to work together to change that.

“There is no trade or profession in the construction industry that women can’t do as well as men, if they are given the chance. And the choice of career within the industry is vast, from the hands-on trades like bricklaying, plumbing and electrician to the associated professions like project manager, surveyor and architect.

“I am delighted that the I Am A Housebuilder campaign group has now launched a mentoring scheme to support women in the industry, but we also need to lay the foundations much earlier in the education system if we are to have those women to mentor.

“As construction businesses, we need to engage much more with schools and colleges to help girls see that the industry is one in which they can succeed.”

Sophie said the skills crisis facing construction could be eased if more was done to recruit and retain female talent.

She said: “I faced many different obstacles as I worked my way through the industry and, even though there are more women in construction now, I think it’s important to recognise that those obstacles haven’t necessarily gone away. I hope the new mentoring programme will help talented women thrive and build rewarding careers in housebuilding.”

The mentorship programme is sponsored by Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions. It has been open to women aged 21 or older who are entitled to work in the UK and who have at least four years’ experience and/or qualifications in construction or housebuilding.

Alongside Sophie, the Magnificent Seven are Xuan Meng, founder and director of Cosy Hauz, Charlotte Edwards, managing director of Dennis Edwards Homes, Georgina Hammond, co-founder and director of Beau Property, Sarah Barraclough, managing director of Skipton Properties, Rosey Cassidy, director of Newman Rose, and Alice Maughan, creative director and designer of Stronghold Homes.