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If you have been following the Construction News coverage of women in construction this week I am sure you will agree the statistics presented highlight worrying questions about the state of gender diversity in the industry.
That women make up a fraction of the workforce is not new news. That women continue to fill a fraction of leadership roles with little sign of improvement should be a concern.
In 2014 CN reported that the percentage of women working in the industry was just 12 per cent and there were only 21 women on the boards of the top 20 UK contractors.
In Q4 last year, women formed 12.8 per cent of the workforce, but CN analysis reveals there are fewer women on the boards of the top 20 today than there were three years ago.

That’s not to say contractors are to blame – the situation isn’t much better among property developers, engineering consultants or architects. This is an industry-wide issue.

In 2015, the Construction News barometer found that half of leaders at the UK’s biggest contractors believed their companies employed sufficient numbers of women and those from ethnic minorities. This clearly was not the case, there are signs now that the conversation is changing, moving away from, ‘Do women want to work in construction,’ to questions like, ‘How do we offer flexible working, return-to-work schemes and why does gender diversity lead to better business?’

Just as the industry needs more men to campaign for gender diversity and ridicule outdated views, it needs visible female role models.
If more women can get into senior positions in construction, she says, perhaps there will be a snowball effect.
We also profiled women this week enjoying careers from crane operators to technical directors. The industry is not short of people willing to change and to shape the debate.
And while HS2’s commercial director Beth West rightly points out that “no woman wants to be on a board just because she’s a woman”, for this industry to change, women who are successful leaders can inspire others to consider a career in this industry.
International Women’s Day is an opportune time for us to devote widespread coverage to the issue of gender diversity in this industry.

Intersect Global are members of organisations such as WISE, Women in Science and Engineering and have been actively trying to play our part in the helping improve the diversity of women within our industry, there is a long road ahead to bring things to an equal footing but we really hope that one day this will be a reality.

In other news we are currently working on updating our website and hope to be able to share that with you in forthcoming weeks. In the mean time you can still browse live vacancies on our site. Not all our live vacancies are advertised, if you wish to have an initial chat with us about your next career move please give us a call on 020 76820668.

Intersect Global have enjoyed a very busy start to 2017 with a number of significant permanent appointments being made and an equal measure of contractors placed too. The civil engineering and infrastructure markets are buoyant and the skill shortages make for a extremely tough market.
We thought it would be good to share the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s latest poll results as to what is likely to be in store for this year.

Three quarters of UK employers (76 per cent) expect economic conditions to be more challenging in 2017 compared to 2016, according to a poll of employers by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

There are signs that the jobs market is slowing. The REC’s latest JobsOutlook survey of 601 employers predicts a softening in short-term hiring. Employers intending to increase their permanent staff headcount within the next three months has reduced to one in five (21 per cent), down from 24 per cent reported last month. Similarly, demand for permanent staff has reduced in all sectors except health & social care and education.

Skills shortages remain a challenge for businesses. Half of all employers (50 per cent) anticipate a shortage of suitable candidates for some permanent roles this year. Employers anticipate that roles in engineering & technology, health & social care, and hospitality will be particularly affected by skills shortages.

Despite harsh economic conditions, businesses remain self-confident. Three quarters of employers polled (74 per cent) say that their business will perform better this year compared to last year.

REC Chief Executive Kevin Green says:

“Employers know that choppy waters lie ahead but are confident they can tough it out. The jobs market has performed better than expected since the referendum. Businesses have held their nerve and we need this resolve to continue as fresh challenges arise in 2017.

“Hirers are already finding it difficult to fill vacancies and this will intensify. The UK is at near-full employment and the available talent pool is shrinking. Economic volatility could make individuals more hesitant about moving jobs this year, which would add to the problem.

“With the government confirming that employers will have to contend with new immigration controls when we leave the EU, organisations in sectors which are reliant upon workers from Europe will have to adapt quickly to survive. It’s difficult to see how the NHS will cope when access to nurses from Europe is curtailed. Likewise, businesses in construction, agriculture, hospitality and manufacturing will need to face up to harsher conditions in 2017 and beyond.”

If you would like to discuss your next career move with Intersect Global, please get in touch.
Please note the jobs on our site are just some of the live requirements we are working on at the moment.

The British construction industry could lose out on almost 215,000 workers if there is a ‘hard’ Brexit, according to research from Arcadis.

The report found that a ‘soft’ Brexit could see the industry lose out on 136,000 workers – around 78,000 fewer than in the hard Brexit scenario.

According to the research, which was conducted for Arcadis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, British construction could lose a volume of workers equivalent to the entire population of Luton (214,700 according to ONS 2015 estimates) in the event of a hard Brexit.

This is based on a potential scenario whereby there would be an extension of the points-based system currently in place for non-EU migrants.

If those EU nationals leaving the industry could not be replaced at the same rate by new EU workers, the research estimated there would be almost 215,000 fewer people from the EU would enter the infrastructure and housebuilding sectors between now and 2020, based on an assumed combined workforce of 1.5m.

Arcadis said that, were policies implemented on a sector-by-sector basis and allowing for a degree of EU migration into the sector, it expected around 135,000 fewer European nationals would relocate to British construction – a number equivalent to the population of Ipswich.

Arcadis director of workforce planning James Bryce said: “What started as a skills gap could soon become a skills gulf.

“The British construction sector has been built on overseas labour for generations, and restrictions of any sort – be it hard or soft Brexit – will hit the industry.

“Missing out on over 200,000 people entering the workforce could mean rising costs for business, and much-needed homes and transport networks being delayed.

“In recent decades, there has been a massive push towards tertiary education which has seen a big drop in the number of British people with the specific skills we need.

“If we cannot import the right people, we will need to quickly ramp up training and change the way we build.”

Mr Bryce added methods like robotics and offsite manufacturing have “never been taken as seriously as they should, but could well prove the difference”.

The Arcadis methodology was based on Article 50 being triggered in Q1 2017.

The research estimated future changes in workforce numbers based on the Construction Products Association’s central scenario for output forecasts from September.

Intersect Global are a member of WISE a brilliant organisation who support and promote women in science and engineering.
Here are the findings from their national conference.

The UK’s key growth industries risk stalling unless the country tackles the loss of 50,000 talented girls a year from science, technology and engineering jobs.

British companies face a massive skills crisis in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) of 69,000 recruits a year, while 93 per cent of girls who have great potential face a lifetime of low pay and limited prospects because they do not pursue qualifications for these technology-based industries.

At the our national conference in London today, our chief executive, Helen Wollaston, is calling on the Government, media and schools to work together with WISE to bring an end to the crisis of these missing minds by showing STEM careers can transform the lives of young women and fuel the economy.

Watch the WISE conference live today on YouTube from 11.00am to 12.30pm and 1.45pm to 3.30pm

Helen Wollaston says: “There is a global war for talent – specifically STEM-related talent – and the rest of the world is stealing a march on the UK. These key skills will secure and fuel the UK’s most important industries today and tomorrow. We cannot afford to lose this war; especially when uncertainty around Brexit is further challenging the economic outlook for the UK.

“We are calling for action on three fronts – education, apprenticeships and industrial strategy. OFSTED should analyse the percentage of girls taking science, maths and computing after GCSE – and only give excellent ratings to schools and colleges achieving 24 per cent. This would match the percentage of boys.

“Companies should be allowed to use the new Apprenticeship Levy to market science, technology and engineering apprenticeships to women. And the much talked about UK industrial strategy should aim to have a third of digital jobs filled by women.

“We have to do something dramatic to achieve a shift change.”

She adds that parents have an important role to play too: “Technology careers attract premium salaries and these skills are in high demand – we typically hear of five job offers for every digital graduate. Why wouldn’t you want your daughter to work in this field? But too many parents still discourage young women because they see science, engineering , IT and technology as dirty or dull.

“We all need to work together to show the incredible opportunities for those who study maths, science and computing. The skills crisis is pushing our most productive industries towards breaking point and we all have a role to play in making sure everyone recognises the importance and value of STEM qualifications.

“Far too many students rack up thousands in debt every year chasing degrees that will lead to little in the way of career prospects. If we can turn the tide and get more young women choosing science, technology, engineering and maths, they, and the UK as a whole, will have a much brighter future.”

According to research by WISE girls outperform boys in GCSE science subjects, with near equality in numbers taking these exams. This plummets to just 33 per cent of females after GCSEs and by university, just seven per cent of women take degrees in technology and engineering. This amounts to tens of thousands of talented female students being lost every year.

Wollaston offers practical tips for parents to encourage their daughters: “Get immersed in what the digital based jobs of today and tomorrow look like so you can talk knowledgeably to your daughters. Buy them science and tech-based toys for Christmas – there is a fun dolls house that children can wire up designed by two female engineers at Stanford. Look up inspiring women on the internet and get their school to discuss these.

“Our award finalists this year are a great place to start for inspirational women – they have used science, technology and maths to help breast-feeding mothers, create inspirational businesses, improve safety on construction sites and tackle the danger of battery fires.”

Founded more than 30 years ago, WISE is bringing together industry, academics and government at the conference to discuss how more women can take advantage of careers in science, technology and engineering. The organisation has achieved a great deal in its history, but women still only represent one in five of the total STEM workforce.

WISE also works with employers to increase the number of women on boards and in management positions and helps bosses to make their workplaces more attractive to women.

To help inspire the next generation of female engineers, scientists and digital gurus, WISE has created a top ten of Christmas presents to help parents to encourage their daughter’s interest in STEM skills. The list includes toys to build a human body, create solar powered robots, run a chocolate factory and tell the time with a potato clock.

For press enquiries or to arrange interviews with Helen Wollaston, WISE board members or WISE awards finalists and winners, contact Ben Pindar, Northern Lights, on 01423 562400 or email ben@northernlightspr.com

Key facts on girls in STEM subjects

A total of 90,910 students (male and female) a year go on to study STEM subjects or take a STEM qualification post 16
Girls consistently outperform across most GCSE subjects, even more so in STEM than in other subjects (71% of girls achieve A*-C grades in STEM, compare to only 62% of boys)
In the year to August 2016, a total of 295,584 boys and a total of 288,084 girls took STEM subjects at GCSE. It is compulsory to take maths and at least one science subject course at GCSE
When it came to moving on to A-Levels, Advanced Apprenticeships or Level 3 Vocational Qualifications, there were 237,509 boys and 97,557 girls. 66% per cent of girls drop all STEM subjects at this stage .
When it came to moving on to higher education, Higher Apprenticeships and Level 4 Vocational Qualifications, there were 70,573 boys and just 20,337 girls – a shortfall of 50,236 girls
A total of 24% of boys move into higher STEM programmes but just 7% of girls follow the same path.
There is a shortfall of 69,000 qualified people each year to fill predicted vacancies in engineering companies. The largest proportion of job openings will be in construction, and ICT related fields, posing a massive threat to British industry.
The Engineering sector alone will need to recruit 2.56 million people by 2022, of which 257,000 will be new jobs

Good news; UK construction firms have moved back into “expansion mode” after the industry reported growth in activity for the first time since the EU referendum.
The Markit / CIPS Construction PMI data for September stood at 52.3, rising above the index’s 50.0 ‘no change’ mark and marking the biggest increase since March.
The figure was well above July’s seven-year low of 45.9 but still lower than the long-run survey average of 54.6.

Senior economist at IHS Markit Tim Moore said: “UK construction companies moved back into expansion mode during September, led by a swift recovery in residential building from the three-and-a half-year low in June.”
The residential building market recorded its biggest increase in output since January, with firms citing greater demand and improved market conditions for the upturn.
Civil engineering activity expanded at its fastest rate since March, new work rose for the first time since April and construction employment levels were also up.

The September figures also marked greater contractor confidence, with 45 per cent of those surveyed forecasting a rise in output before the year end, with only 9 per cent anticipating a reduction.
The commercial market continued to be hit by Brexit uncertainty, with activity decreasing for the fourth month in a row.
Firms also reported continued price inflation during September as exchange rates drove up materials prices close to the highest rate for two years.

At Intersect Global we are working hard to encourage and promote fairness, inclusion and respect in the workplace. We have a link on our website with our new helpful handout that we give to all our contract workforce. We believe this gives clear and simple advice about how to improve the working culture within the construction industry. https://intersectprod.wpengine.com/about-us/diversity/
We have recently become members of fantastic organisation called WISE; a campaign to promote women in science technology and engineering. In future we need to be looking at a wider pool of talent if we are to fill our clients vacancies.
We have been inspired by the dedicated approach that our client Skanska has taken on this subject. They recently hosted a fantastic debate entitled ‘The changing face of construction’ that was attended by more than 250 people – a mixture of clients, competitors and the supply chain, along with many other industry representatives.
Skanska’s vision is to be a truly diverse and inclusive organisation that mirrors the societies in which it works. They are leading the way towards a more diverse and inclusive culture in the construction industry and Intersect Global are dedicated to supporting them and all our clients in this area.

The chief executives and leaders of UK contractors must set out to their employees what the consequences of a vote to leave the EU would mean for their business, the president of the CBI has told Construction News, warning the impact could be similar to the financial crash of 2008/09

Paul Drechsler, previously chief executive of Wates and now the president of the CBI, warned UK contractors that if they cared about the outcome of the referendum, they should “do something about it”.
“That means make sure that people who work for you understand what it means for your business.”
He said construction leaders should spend the next week talking about the issue at “toolbox talks, site talks, talks in the office”.
He warned that if Brexit led to staff being laid off in two months’ time they would ask why they had not been warned beforehand.

Mr Drechsler also told contractors to be clear with their suppliers about what the consequences of a vote to leave would be.
”Your supply chain has to understand what it means for you.
”If your customer thinks it’s very important for them, it should be important for you if you care about your customers.”

He warned that the Brexit would cause a “very significant shock” to the UK economy.
”The last time that happened was in 2008/09 and on the surface it was quite a straightforward issue [a bank failing] but nobody ever understood what that would mean.
”What it meant was years of significant job losses for the UK construction industry.”
He said there was no upside in the short to medium term.
“I think for the construction industry it would be more of what we have just been through and some are still recovering from.
”That’s why people should be talking about it.”
In the event of a vote to leave the EU, the first area of construction to be hit would be the commercial sector, he said, followed by housebuilding as the economy lost confidence and public sector and infrastructure projects as tax receipts fell.
The UK construction industry was reliant on the free movement of labour from across Europe, he said, because it needed to access talent from its other 27 member countries. Projects such as the Olympics would not have been built on time without it, he added.

Stansted Airport’s operator is set to lift the wraps on plans for a £600m long term upgrade of its terminal infrastructure.
Stansted. Manchester Airports Group, which owns the airport, is to host a suppliers day next month for the industry’s large contractors turning over more than £100m.

Its planned programme of improvements includes expansion of the arrivals infrastructure, additional car park capacity and modifications to the existing departures, landside and airside infrastructure.

The latest plans signal a forthcoming boom in airport construction work.

MAG is already planning a major £1bn expansion of Manchester Airport, while Luton airport is about to start its own £100m terminal upgrade with plans to build a £200m ligh trail link to speed up journeys from London.

Gatwick and Heathrow Airports are also both planning major investments, the scale of which depends on the Government’s Heathrow third runway decision later this year.

Luton Airpot has also recently announced a large investment in their infrastructure by way of a new rail line that will connect with London Kings Cross and drastically reduce journey time from Central London.

Crossrail will be renamed the Elizabeth Line from 2018, it was confirmed today.
The line, which will be purple on the TfL Underground Map, will be named after Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Bond Street station to mark the announcement today.
The line is due to open in December 2018, at which point it will be renamed.

Once operating, it is expected to carry half a million passengers each day.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Crossrail is already proving a huge success for the UK economy, and as we move closer to bringing this transformative new railway into service, I think it’s truly wonderful that such a significant line for our capital, will carry such a significant name from our country. As well as radically improving travel right across our city, the Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest serving monarch.”

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This is an example of British engineering at its best and will transform the way people travel across London and beyond from 2018, bringing better and faster journeys, while boosting jobs and driving economic growth.”
Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said: “Construction for the new railway is now over 70 per cent complete and is being delivered on time and within budget.
”The Crossrail project is one of the most ambitious and complex infrastructure programmes ever undertaken in the UK, the scale of engineering being delivered under the capital is quite incredible. The opening of the Elizabeth line in 2018 will be a significant moment for London.”
Trains will start operating on the Elizabeth Line in five phases: Liverpool Street to Shenfield – May 2017; Heathrow to Paddington (main line platforms) – May 2018; Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Abbey Wood, through the new central tunnels – December 2018; Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Shenfield – May 2019; and a full through service (including services to Reading) – December 2019.