Synergy News & Blog: News
Hear from some of our female colleagues on International Women’s Day
In the UK, women make up around 14% of construction industry professionals. On International Women’s Day we thought we would ask some of our female colleagues why now – more than ever – it is a great time for women to consider a career in construction.
Linzi Shildrick – Project manager
“I don’t know why so few women are attracted to a career in construction, but I think it’s partly due to lack of awareness about the interesting and varied career opportunities, and partly due to the perception of the industry being male dominated and muddy. That couldn’t be further from the truth, well the muddy bit anyway. As a Consultant (Project Manager), my role is just as likely to take me to a meeting in the city as it is to take me to a construction site. That’s the beauty of it, you get to do a bit of everything which makes each day / project genuinely different from the last. The industry is tough, however I am certainly glad that I didn’t miss out. Synergy have played a major part in giving me the guidance and support to achieve my goals.”
From left to right – Linzi Shildrick (Synergy), Alice Lane (Synergy), Ron Brooker (Synergy)
Anne- Marie Woodhouse – Partner
“The Construction Industry is fast moving; varied and hugely important to our UK economy – affecting all walks of life. I am passionate about encouraging young people – and especially female school leavers – to look at the diverse careers within the industry. I take every opportunity I get to promote this exciting industry to all young women when discussing career guidance – as there really is a construction career for everyone. At Synergy, we try to be very progressive in hiring women but the bottom line is – we need more women in construction as we can’t hire them if there are no female applicants. So spread the word – we need to change the perceptions surrounding the construction industry ….. It is only with more women being encouraged to train as engineers; designers; surveyors; project managers – the list goes on and on – that we can compete in this male dominated industry, bringing balance to teams; board rooms; government initiatives and our industry governance.”
Edith Gbagbo – CDM Advisor
“The construction industry is commonly male dominated. The presence of women most certainly changes the dynamics in any male dominated industry and the construction industry is no exception. There are so many career opportunities for women at all levels in the construction industry. Health and Safety is certainly an area of construction where women can make an impact and is exceptionally rewarding, ensuring ‘workers go to work’ and ‘go back to their families at the end of each day’. I encourage women to join the construction industry and help drive down accident statistics.”
Carol Halliday – Associate and Quantity Surveyor
“I have been a QS for over 30 years. My grandfather and uncle were quantity surveyors, so I knew of the profession. I loved maths at my all-girls school. When I first went to Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University) our course beat the national average with 3 ladies and 100 men. Meetings were usually ‘Lady and Gentlemen’. However there are lots more women in the industry now and I often work with female contractor’s surveyors. The design team is often female lead and site boots now come in size 4 so I don’t need multiple pairs of socks!
I love the variety of projects and buildings from Grade I listed churches to industrial units. Individual homes to entire new schools. New builds and altering, adapting, extending and even demolishing existing buildings. Central London to rural Sussex”
#balanceforbetter #IWD2019
