SCHT 20: Championing Women in Construction

Over the years, we’ve held events at High Schools across Stirling, where pupils were offered the chance to try their hand at traditional skills including slating, stone carving and sign writing. We noticed that the majority of pupils who attended these events were boys, and according to the Office of National Statistics, women currently make up only 16.6% of workers in the construction sector, and only 2.5% of Modern Apprentices in Scotland, with a 23% gender pay gap within the construction industries biggest companies. Inspired by Women in Engineering events/programmes and galvanised by these statistics, SCHT conceived of and organised a series of skills events for high school age girls, where the majority of the demonstrators were women, with the aim of inspiring female high school students to consider a career in the construction/heritage sector.

To date, we have held three Women In Construction events. The success of these events has proved that, given the opportunity, young women are interested in participating and in finding out about the opportunities in this sector.

Women in Construction 2024 Patternmaking and woodcarving with Ruth Davies of Pollock Davies.

Women in Construction 2024 Plastering with Gemma Crook, Plaster Lass

Women in Construction 2024 Drone flying with David Philips, Skills Development Scotland

Women in Construction 2024 Digital Documentation with Historic Environment Scotland Digital Documentation and Innovation team

Women in Construction 2024 Stonecarving with Gillian Forbes.

In 2020, we held our first Women in Construction event at Bannockburn High School in collaboration with DYW Forth Valley, Historic Environment Scotland, and the Forth Valley Traditional Building Forum. Our events showcase how varied and rewarding work in the sector can be, with a focus on roles which involve working with the historic built environment. The majority of speakers and demonstrators at these events are women working in the construction and heritage sectors, as SCHT believes that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. You can find out more about this event by Downloading our Women in Construction 2020 Event Report or watching a video of the event from Developing the Young Workforce Scotland.

Our second Women in Construction Event was held in 2023 at Wallace High School in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland, Build Your Future, and the Forth Valley Traditional Building Forum. You can download our Women in Construction 2023 Event Report or watch this video of the event from Build Your Future.

Women in Construction 2024 Slate Cutting with Chris Menzies, Stirling City Heritage Trust

Women in Construction 2024 Mosaics with Helen Miles

Women in Construction 2024 Signwriting with Rachel E Miller & Hana Lindsay, Bungo Sign Co.

Women in Construction 2024 Thermography with Fiona Park, Stirling City Heritage Trust

This year’s event was held at Stirling High on the 8th March to mark International Women’s Day, and you can read our Event Report to find out more about the day.

The pupil and teacher feedback from these events is incredibly positive, we knew we were on the right track when our demonstrators said ‘I wish I’d had something like this when I was at school!’ Our demonstrators are all inspiring people who enjoy the event just as much as the pupils do. This year, we were pleased to welcome a Graduate Engineer and Media and Communications Assistant from BEAR Scotland, who both had a great time trying out the demonstrations alongside the pupils. BEAR Scotland also kindly awarded SCHT with £250 of funding for the event.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the demonstrators, stakeholders, teachers, and pupils who’ve made our events so successful and enjoyable over the years. Do keep an eye on our social media channels and blog for more information on our latest skills and outreach programmes.