McDermott’s women-only course celebrates success

Participants in the three-week course in Birmingham

Chartered Building Company and CIOB Training Partnership McDermott Building and Civil Engineering – a groundworks and civil engineering company based in Birmingham – held its first women-only Introduction to Construction course in May.

The three-week course, run with the aim of introducing more women into the industry, provided an insight into some of the careers available as well as experience of groundworks and bricklaying.

The course – run in partnership with Salutem, a training provider specialising in construction apprenticeships – included sessions on challenging perceptions of women in construction, understanding drawings, a one-day health and safety course and a practical CSCS test.

Women praised the course at an event after it ended. One, Emma, talked about how it had given her confidence to learn construction terminology and not let her dyslexia hold her back, while Sharon said: “The only regret I have is I wish I had done it 10 years ago!”

Another participant, Sheryl, said: “Some of us haven’t been in employment for a while and may have had our confidence knocked a little. But it really gave us a confidence boost.”

Malcolm McDermott FCIOB, managing director for McDermotts, said: “The construction industry can provide a very rewarding career for both men and women, so we wanted to run a women-only course to try and encourage more women to consider a career in construction. Since the course finished we have offered four of the women work experience within our business.”