Deborah Madden finds much to be positive about in the latest trends but warns against complacency
I’ve worked in the construction industry for the best part of three decades, and when it comes to improving the diversity of the workforce, there have been moments when progress felt slow. This isn’t unique to the construction industry, but it’s something we’ve been striving to change at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
This week we’re celebrating Women in Construction Week, and it’s worth highlighting some encouraging statistics. Our recent report, ‘Construction Apprenticeships 2025: Challenges. Opportunities. Support’, found that the number of women starting construction apprenticeships has risen dramatically in recent years.
In 2018-19, 1,450 women started a construction apprenticeship, but this has jumped to 2,420 to in 2023-24. That’s nearly a two-thirds increase. Additionally, 340 women completed their construction apprenticeship in 2018-19, and this increased by more than 170% to 930 women completing their apprenticeship in 2023-24.
When I read this, it really lifted my spirits. While the numbers remain small, the rise in women starting construction apprenticeships suggests we’re making headway towards a future with greater gender diversity in the industry.
It’s essential that we keep on paving the way for more women to join the industry. There are more generalist ways in which we can do this, such as getting better as an industry to collectively shout about how fantastic a career in construction is, the opportunities it can offer people, and highlighting formal recruitment methods, as too often informal routes are pursued.
“It’s essential that we keep on paving the way for more women to join the industry.”
But we also need to ensure visibility of some of the trailblazing women already working in construction as inspiration for young women considering their career options.
The latest young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET) figures show there are more than 440,000 young women NEET. These are stark figures, but they also represent a huge opportunity as there is such a large pool of young women, and people in general, for us to be tapping into. Hopefully some of them will see our Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction Awards and be inspired to pursue a career in construction.
The industry needs to actively promote itself to a diverse range of applicants and to create working conditions that underscore the importance of fostering an inclusive environment where women can thrive and contribute to the industry’s growth and health.
This is a key objective for CITB too. In our recent Strategic Plan 2025 – 29, we’ve laid out our plan to inspire and enable diverse and skilled people into construction.
As part of this, we intend to promote construction careers to over five million potential new entrants, highlighting that there are over 180 different occupations in the industry. Similarly, there are over 100 different construction apprenticeship roles that lead to careers in the industry for people at every stage of their career.
It’s worth noting that, coinciding with Women in Construction Week is also National Careers Week. And, as I mentioned earlier, we need to get better as an industry at shouting about the benefits of pursuing a career in construction.
“A career in construction is lucrative too”
Past surveys have revealed that people wouldn’t recommend a career in construction to young people as its overly physical and not well paid. But this simply isn’t true. Of course, there are many roles in the industry which require physical labour, but with over 180 different occupations, there are plenty that don’t either, such as construction plant operators.
Moreover, a career in construction is lucrative too. The average UK construction worker’s salary is over £44,000, nearly £9,000 higher than the average UK salary. If we’re not making this clear to people, then misconceptions about joining the industry will continue to hamper our ability to attract new entrants.
The entry route into the industry is the same for everyone, and there are lots of avenues of support for people form diverse backgrounds, either through CITB or independent of CITB. For any young women considering a career in construction, then there’s a great opportunity for them to see what this can actually look like for them by visiting Open Doors later this month – an annual event organised by Build UK that we support that allows people to visit construction sites and get a real feel for the industry.
It’s incredibly heartening to see the number of women starting construction apprenticeships increasing – long may this continue. But let’s not take our foot off the gas. We need a more diverse construction industry to make it as inclusive and accessible for a wide range of people, and this includes attracting more women into the industry. There’s so much to admire about the industry, and it’s a great place for women to work and thrive.
Deborah Madden, executive director, nations engagement, Construction Industry Training Board
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