#BuildingEquality
Be A Role Model,
Inspire

I always had a love for building and construction form an early age. I lived in the country side and I remember from a young age…

I chose to study Civil Engineering in NUIG because I loved Maths and problem solving. As I learnt more and more about Engineering, I thought that I would work in a design office…

I’ve always be interested in the construction sector, my main interest being sustainable building.

I am motivated by the thrill of leaving a legacy in my work. That is, working on an infrastructure project and years later look back and knowing that I have made a mark.

Who has opened doors in your life? They might not be obvious until much later in life. Here are some stories about my door openers.

I didn’t even know what a Quantity Surveyor was or what their job involved until I was talking to my Dad on what direction / career path to pursue…

What attracted me to construction was the continuous growth and innovative nature of the industry. Be it on the job with a project evolving…

At this stage in my career, I believe construction chose me! I began my career in marketing & communications in food and facilities management, from there moved into the oil business and now to construction.

Throughout my career I’ve always chosen to work in companies and industrial sectors where investment in people is high on the leadership agenda. The present growth in our industry is coupled…

chose a career in construction as the only girl with 5 brothers, living in a male dominated environment has always been natural for me. I began my career in construction…

Being a 5’3 female EHS specialist and arriving on site in my hard hat and Hi-Viz is certainly not the norm. I’m definitely a minority!

As I look forward to graduating in 2019, I am excited about my future in engineering.

Preconceptions never existed in my home. If you really wanted something you pursued it. It was that simple. I feel the construction industry has so much to offer anyone who enters it. It’s challenging, diverse, and rewarding

Today, women make up just 6% of the Irish construction industry. What I say to that is don’t wait for anyone’s permission to change the status quo. The opportunities are out there. For instance, at Eaton we’re committed to promoting career paths for women in engineering.

The work can be challenging, but I delight in the sense of achievement that I feel when I pass by a project and I know I that have been a part of its creation and have contributed something positive to my surroundings.

Its funny how I ended up studying the course. I went in to a presentation on Quantity Surveying at an open day in IT Sligo in my final year of secondary school by accident and the rest is history! I was hooked!

There needs to be a greater awareness of what the industry entails and can offer young women that possess the skills, interest and potential to flourish.

When I was young my Dad used to take me to work with him on a Saturday. He would give me two blocks on the ground and some mortar to play with and I used to smooth it over the block, I kept doing it over and over.

It isn’t easy being the first of anything, so we will always need that one brave enough to take the first plunge into the dark.

I’m lucky to work in a profession that I enjoy and love. I’m committed to help mentor and advice other women who have an interest in developing a career in this sector and plan to hold others accountable to doing the same.

Today’s children are the future of this industry (and all industries) but it is the opinions and views of today’s adults that will further the bid to attain gender equality in the Construction Industry for the decades to come.

The first place we need to start is with schools, this means more presentations, more discussions and more school visits for our female role models.

Adjusting our definition of a candidate’s potential as well has how we evaluate her success will require gender-inclusive assessments.

Of course, there needs to be more apprenticeships and the government can always do more but there is a real onus on employers.

There is clear evidence that the best performing companies in the world have more women sitting at Board level.

We need more early education for girls to provide a more positive guidance to show that the list of possibilities are endless in the construction industry.

Attracting more women and girls is a matter of opening up and showcasing the exciting and varied opportunities we have in construction.

We need to promote the role models that we have in the industry and keep this conversation going.

The #BuildingEquality campaign is essential to address misconceptions and encourage behaviour change. The industry isn’t just for boys – and it’s important to challenge perceptions

A Project Director who pushed me from my architectural comfort zone into the world of Project Management saying on a €30 million EPCM project “take the lead you can project manage and you can do it!” I never looked back.

Seeing women succeed in these positions throughout the industry makes it easier for me, and other women to aspire to these positions ourselves.

STEM subjects can lead to great careers within the construction industry and inform them that there have been many successful females in the construction industry.

I finished school at 16 and it took me a while to decide what I wanted to do. On my 18th birthday, I started my electrical apprenticeship.

My elder brother and younger sister are IT Engineers. I am the one (Civil Engineer) who has chosen the construction industry.

Having completed my Inter Cert (in the early 80s) I planned doing Engineering, more specifically Civil Engineering. I liked bridges. I even did Physics after school as it wasn’t an option in the all girls’ school I attended.

I was very lucky to have an inspirational Physics teacher Mr. Maurice Manning in St. Conleths’ School who took an interest in encouraging me to study STEM subjects.

After raising 5 children I returned to college to complete my course in Architectural Technology in Bolton Street.

When I started college in Sligo IT, there were four girls in the entire engineering department. Today that department is actually headed up by a woman.

We need to see a construction industry that is society friendly with work life balance better for all, both men and women, and whatever your background. So welcome diversity with open arms.

From a young age I have always “doodled” houses, slowed down passing building sites & wanted to know how things worked. I knew that I wanted to go into engineering.

I’ve always had an interest in buildings and was designing “developments” from a very young age! In school Technical Drawing was my favourite subject and my first step into the industry was in IT Tralee where I studied Construction Studies.

Growing up I always had an interest in wood work and buildings/construction. I did wood work in school up until Junior Certificate cycle. While doing my Leaving Certificate I thought I wanted to do nursing but was overwhelmed when I realised this was not the career that I wanted.

There’s no denying that Construction is a male-dominated industry however I believe that the few women that are involved in the industry make a real difference.

Shortly after arriving to New Zealand a massive earthquake took place and I worked for over 6 years repairing homes damaged by the earthquake sequence.

Apprenticeship are an under used method of training and development in Ireland.

We are designed to be jugglers, out of the box and quick thinkers and problem solvers. These are invaluable additions to any project.

My name is Pauline Yeo, and I am a Quantity Surveyor who has been working in the industry for over 25 years. My first job was with a local council in the UK, working on the seafront as part of the management team.

I’ve worked for the company for the past four years. Prior to this I worked for more than 20 years in the manufacturing and service sectors. I can honestly say, while I have loved all of my previous roles.

It’s not always the employer that needs convincing. We have much to do to persuade women that they are genuinely welcome on site.

Often you hear that men are persuasive whereas women are pushy or men are smooth, but women are showing off; we get that kind of information all the time and it is up to us to stop it.

I would like to see an increase in female participation within the construction industry. I think having more women involved in this sector will help change the industry for the better. Women make great leaders, and we are all equal in this business

We need more women participating in construction and those who are already involved we need to see them progressing into more senior roles within the industry. We want to get the message out there that the construction industry is not just for men.

Hailing from a family background in construction, I was always adamant to pursue a career within the fast pace market of commercial construction…

One of my very first jobs after leaving secondary school was in a geology lab as a lab technician. It was my job to test soil, water and rock prior to building works being constructed. Little did I know then that I would end up in a career in the construction industry all these years later.

Time and time again it has been proven that diverse teams outperform homogenous teams, significantly. The days of gender specific roles are long gone! The construction sector is dynamic, thriving and fun. If you are looking for a robust and exciting career path, construction is the industry to be in.

After graduating from Commerce and Italian in University College of Cork in 2015 if you had told me then that I would be working in the construction industry I wouldn’t have believed whoever was telling me. But that is exactly where the barrier of perception needs to be broken and that’s exactly when I happily am now.

I studied Science in college but when I went to work with my Mam (Project Manager) on a building site the summer I finished, I quickly realised construction was the industry for me.

I was extremely lucky in my school days to have had very strong, influential mentors around me who noticed a talent in me for Design and Problem Solving.

Continued Personal Development (CPD) is a necessity and helpful in career progression. Lifelong learning plays a key part in technology jobs and the ever-evolving workplace.

We need to work more closely with the education system to ensure that female students know that they are welcome in our industry and that they can build fantastic and fulfilling careers here.

Construction is one of the universal languages of global commerce and if you’re trained in Ireland, you are likely to be able to secure work around the world. The CIF’s #BuildingEquality Campaign will challenge the misconception that construction only provides careers for men.

I come from a farming background where, boys and girls are encouraged to undertake any job or task that may arise, there was never a “that’s a boys job” attitude. I knew that I wanted a career that involved lots of interaction with people and one would allow me to be out and about as much as possible.

I joined the family construction business after graduating from college having worked for a few years working in other industries.

My introduction to the industry was through an admin role for a company who supplied and installed products to the construction industry. I was intrigued by the people, the challenges, and the variability of the projects we supplied to.

As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved engineering, figuring things out, making things – helped along by Lego no doubt!

As part of the #BuildingEquality Campaign, Nancy Sweeney, BCAR Manager, Glenveagh Properties, shares her story as a woman in construction.

My journey working in HR began when I completed a BSc in Human Resource Management in DIT Angier Street (now part of TU Dublin). I start working with Mercury in 2007 as a HR Generalist.

As part of the #BuildingEquality Campaign, Fiona Cormican, New Busines Director at Clúid Housing, shares her story.