Construction Is Not Just A Man's Domain

One year on and female graduates prove that Construction is not just a man's domain.

Construction has always seemed a man's world.

On building sites and engineering projects, the work of digging holes, moving earth, demolition, pouring concrete, raising new structures - amid the mud and the muck, the steel and timber, it all conveys images of muscles and machines and masculine values.

Traditional icons reinforce the same view: from burly wolf-whistling tradesmen in dirty jeans showing male cleavages, to suit-attired professionals in wellies and hard hats stepping out of their 4x4s with drawings in hand.

Not one of them in touch with their femininity.

No more.

As if to say, building things is great fun and hugely satisfying, and we want some of it, young women are graduating from university with architectural and engineering qualifications, and joining forward-looking employers in the construction industries.

There, they are getting their sleeves rolled up while they build careers in building and structural design, civil and aviation engineering, surveying and project management.

And, far from being resented or made to feel out of place, or even positioned as tokens of diversity, they are welcomed as equals for their skills and solutions.

Unlikely as it may once have seemed, they are even appreciated for their civilising influence.

TPS Consult, the multi-disciplinary design and project management consultancy owned by Carillion, has recruited seven women among 15 graduates and one year on, they are all doing extremely well.

Proving that, even in the construction industry, we are moving towards a more equal society.

Paul Reeder, TPS Consult's managing director, said: "This was not a deliberate policy, it was simply that of the candidates shortlisted more women were suited to the available vacancies than men.

"It is interesting to note that we are now receiving far more applications from women, and that the quality of those applications continues to grow.

There is no reason why the construction industry should be male-dominated, especially on the professional side, and it is pleasing to see the trend beginning to change." The experience of TPS Consult may not be entirely typical but it is not entirely unusual either.

The firm offers the whole range of professional services for the built environment, and has proved an attractive potential employer to women graduates looking for a leading consultancy with a versatile portfolio of disciplines providing solutions to a spread of client sectors.

Of the seven women employed, four are working in civil engineering, two in architecture and one in building services.

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