Crawford mpany : Contractor Connections pushes for gender diversity

The UK construction industry is facing a massive skills shortage - the highest since 1998. Our Contractor Connection Foundation is focused on working with key organisations to promote a more sustainable and diverse industry.

Today, women only make up around 14% of construction industry professionals. Partnering with The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), Crawford is committed to encouraging women to pursue successful careers in the construction industry, providing first-hand knowledge and supporting them in developing skills.

NAWIC is a member of the Contractor Connection Foundation which aims to promote a more diverse, open and sustainable environment in the UK's construction industry, including the challenges of labour shortage and the male-dominated demographic of the sector. Through the work of the Foundation, we have been able to create highly valuable partnerships with a number of influential bodies. These include NAWIC, which champions female construction workers; Building Heroes, which retrains military veterans as tradespeople; and Care Aware, which trains contractors to work in properties with people who have dementia or Alzheimer's.

On Thursday 25 July 2019, we hosted an informal networking event for NAWIC members in our own London offices. The evening gave a chance to mingle and hear from our guests, including Contractor Connection UK Managing Director, Lee Sadowski, about the work we are doing together and how far we have come with this valuable partnership.

At the event, Lee Sadowski said 'We need greater diversity in the industry as women and members of our minority communities are not sufficiently represented in the construction sector and if we are to understand and better serve communities then this needs to be addressed.'