ISG joins together to empower women in construction

September saw ISG people from a variety of roles join sessions designed to empower and promote women working in the construction industry.

In the west of England, ISG sponsored the Women in Property South West Panel Training event alongside industry colleagues, Atkins and Gleeds.

Designed to empower women to take up the mantel of promoting equality and diversity in construction, the session saw 30 women from across the industry receive public speaking training to try and address the issue of underrepresentation of women on debate panels.  

ISG’s group director for public sector frameworks, Zoe Price, commented on the session: “Events like this which provide a platform to promote equality and diversity within the industry are vitally important. 

Our industry panels should reflect the diversity within the workforce and we are proud to champion and support Women in Property with this panel training.”

In Manchester, ISG head of social value, Dr Vicky Hutchinson, spoke on a panel at the Inspire Summit, which highlights the women working in the UK construction, engineering and housing sectors. 
The session saw Vicky address the gender pay gap and implementing equal pay, alongside other property professionals. 

Focusing on her own work in encouraging women to take up roles in the sector, Vicky discussed how initiatives like ISG’s World of Work Experience (WOWEX) and new Level 3 qualification are inspiring young people to consider construction as a viable career. 

“It was a very inspiring experience, seeing women come together to share their visions for the industry, alongside those who have made a considerable impact on progressing females in the workplace,” she said. 

“Barbara Res, the woman who built Trump Tower, closed the event and inspired the room with her life story. 

“She made it clear that each and every one of us has the power to change the status quo.” 

ISG has several initiatives to encourage women into construction, including WOWEX, a week-long programme which sees students gain a taste of life in the industry. 

Its Level 3 Applied Diploma in Professional Construction Practice – the equivalent of an A-level – teaches students a wide range of skills through modules including the design and creation of the built environment, and the value of Building Information Modelling (BIM).

ISG is committed to supporting equal opportunities in employment and has signed the Young Women’s Trust’s pledge to improve apprenticeships for women, building on its work to provide fully inclusive employment opportunities. 

The pledge says that employers will recognise the value of gender diversity and take action to increase the representation of young women in their apprenticeship programmes.

We are proud of our dynamic workforce, and we continue to work towards recruiting many more women into our company to ensure our workforce is much more reflective of society.