I came into the industry exactly 60 years ago as an articled pupil with John Laing & Son based in the Birmingham Regional Office.
The Bull Ring Centre was just about complete, the Maternity Hospital and no less than four large university halls of residence were well underway when I joined. I did work on all of them – much of it administering the famous John Laing cost and bonus system.
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The government of the day was intent on delivering their promised 300,000 homes per year and we (Laings) were at the forefront with system-built high-rise apartments, known as Jespersen – remember them?
Over the five years of my indentures, I spent my academic terms at Brixton School of Building and my ‘practical training’ on sites throughout the Midland region centred in Brum: Shrewsbury Shopping Centre, Denman Street residences in Nottingham, Doncaster Racecourse Grandstand and the Rolls-Royce RB211 engine factory.
Good old Brum, still building after all these years!
Roger Greasley MCIOB
Why the Women into Construction closure reflects badly on the industry
CIOB People 23.08.24
Professor of employment relations at Queen Mary University of London Tessa Wright reflected on the closure of WiC after 16 years of supporting women accessing construction.
Tessa, I had the news with the same disappointment. It’s always so hard to convince the same organisations who ‘champion’ the sector and at the same time complain they can’t recruit to part with an investment that secures future talent.
There are some really good organisations out there, doing some good work, but it’s still often down to the ‘commit if we win the bid’ or ‘it’s what we’ve always done’ approach.
The question is always ‘what’s the cost?’ instead of ‘what’s the value?’
A good friend of mine who works at the top level in social value (where the funding for such ‘initiatives’ usually lies) once commented that HR and corporate social responsibility never talk to each other. I find this staggering.
Access to home-grown talent should be an absolute priority. WiC and our own organisation [Class of Your Own] provide an exciting funnel directly into the most in-demand vacancies. Want apprentices? Sign up. Want more women? Sign up. Want more respect? Sign up. Want to change perceptions? Sign up. Want to stop spending money on the same reports year on year that tell us what we already know? Sign up.
I do hope that the whole industry – driven by the great leaders – will come together and stop treating NFPs (not-for-profits) as ‘nice to haves’. We provide a critical service to the seriously depleted construction workforce.
Alison Watson MBE
I was part of the inclusion consultations leading up to 2012 and was pleased that there was positive support and recruitment for women to be part of the construction contracts. The formation of WiC and the ongoing work was part of what turned out to be a very limited legacy.
I am deeply saddened and disappointed that this groundbreaking organisation is having to close. Tessa makes an excellent point when citing the potential support from within the industry, but also surely the new government should find a way to encourage this?
Julie Newman
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