Inspiring Women in Construction and Engineering awards open for entry

Construction News and New Civil Engineer have joined forces to launch an awards event to showcase and celebrate the achievements of women in the sector, as well as the organisations that are leading the way in gender equality.

The awards are part of a joint programme of activity planned by the two publications – the Inspiring Women in Construction & Engineering initiative – which is sponsored by Curtins and Willmott Dixon.

The joint programme builds on NCE’s former Recognising Women in Engineering Awards and CN’s Inspiring Women in Construction programme. This year, both publications will collaborate to provide networking opportunities and learning resources. The aim is not only to help women make career progress, but also to encourage more organisations to promote gender equality across the wide variety of roles in construction and engineering.

The initiative will include a workshop event this summer before culminating in the awards on 6 October.

There are seven categories open for entry, which will recognise the women and teams that stand out as exceptional, and are designed to showcase both individual and organisational achievements.

“We aim to celebrate the achievements of women right across construction and engineering,” commented CN editor Lem Bingley. “Women are underrepresented at every level and in every discipline in our sector, so it’s vital that we recognise the outstanding contributions that women already make in our sector, and to celebrate those employers taking steps to help others follow in their footsteps.”

NCE editor Claire Smith said: “Construction and engineering have been facing a skills crisis for decades; the only way to solve this is to get more people – men and women – to join the industry. Historically, construction has failed to attract the same number of women as men so events like this are important to show that the sector is one that will support women and raise the profile of the industry as an attractive career path for all.”

Entries to the awards must be made by 20 May. Full details of the categories and criteria can be found on the event website. Awards open to individuals include Rising Star, Technical Excellence, Contribution to a Project, Inspirational Leadership, and Contribution to Gender Diversity – the latter award being open to diversity champions of any gender. Categories open to organisations that are striving to improve diversity include Excellence in Outreach and Excellence in Business Culture.

Winners of the inaugural Inspiring Women awards will be announced at a gala event in London on the evening of 6 October. In addition to taking home a trophy, individual winners will have the opportunity to gain mentoring support through the Inspiring Women programme.