National Inclusion Week celebrates inclusion and inclusive workplaces. A week to connect people and highlight the conversations we should all be having about encouraging inclusivity, not in the future – but now.

At WiC, we believe the time has always been ‘now’ to have these important conversations. We have worked for the last 14 years to address the gender imbalance in construction and are proud to have over 135 members who have joined us on our mission to Change the Face of Construction, together.

Research shows how the tight labour market across the UK is making it difficult for contractors to attract talent. It is, therefore, more important than ever to encourage a wider range of people into the industry. A way to do this is to encourage inclusive cultures that allow women to feel welcomed, respected and valued. This is especially important on-site. Site culture has changed greatly over the years thanks to increased positive influence and action from companies, more diversity and inclusion training for all stakeholders and an increase in female role models. However, there is always more to do, and we have been pleased to see more members wanting to support D&I training, not in the future but now!

We are proud of WiC’s achievements over the past 14 years and the changes we have seen in construction. We will continue to support the industry to showcase itself as being an amazing career opportunity for women and encourage women to see the changes which have occurred.

We are WiC, and we believe in #ThePowerOfNow

Kath Moore MBE