Educating clients on minority merits

Exclusive by Laura Hailstone

Clients, as well as contractors, will be involved in a new long-term strategy to encourage more women and ethnic minorities into construction.

The Steps Programme, devised by three Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) staff, is still being developed but is expected to start life in the first half of next year.

Simon Murray, regional strategic advisor for CITB North East & Cumbria, told CJ about the programme. "It consists of eight steps that will work as a kind of mapping mechanism to take people interested in a career in construction, train them, put them in work placements and eventually, if they want, provide support for them to set up their own business within construction/property," he said.

The first step, called Step Back, consists of awareness training workshops for employers and key stakeholders, including clients. "We feel that clients can play a big part in getting more women and ethnic minorities into the industry. If they expressed in their tenders that they wanted 5% of the workforce to be female for example, then it would encourage contractors to take on board more women," said Murray.

Nevertheless support from contractors will be crucial as the main bulk of the scheme involves work experience/taster placements.

"Steps is a long-term strategy that aims to increase the number of under-represented sectors in construction by getting the construction industry to change its mindset. It is about educating people and the best place to start is at the top so that it filters down the ranks," added Murray.

Along with Murray, Steps is the brainchild of Carole Earl, CITB equal opportunities co-ordinator and Gillian Bulman, CITB education manager, with some input from Cheryl Williamson at Northumbria University.