Forget quotas. Widening construction's talent pool starts at school

John Patch
13 April 2015

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Solving the industry's skills shortage and gender imbalance will take a generation. We must start now, says John Patch.

I write with interest and alarm in response to your comment "Quotas for Women in Infrastructure - for all the wrong reasons?".

Are there still people out there who think we should be recruiting and appointing on criteria other than merit?

Do intelligent people in apparently senior positions still believe they can influence the proportions of women and men in various employment roles by applying gender bias initiatives?

"Whilst gender quotas and targets are laudable, they're aspirational and should not in any way influence any employment decision, and for senior people to publish these targets is nonsense."

If there are, they entirely miss the point and should not be in the positions that they currently hold. 

They are also hypocrites. Women and men must be given jobs on their ability to do the job, and for no other reason.

Whilst gender quotas and targets are laudable, they're aspirational and should not in any way influence any employment decision, and for senior people to publish these targets is nonsense.

That said I'm happy to exclaim that I am a feminist (as defined by the editor of New Civil Engineer); I would welcome more women into Civil Engineering and, particularly into Infrastructure, but only because there are some women out there who are better than some of the men and they are not in the Industry, primarily because they haven't had the chance.

Within our own organisation I strive to attract and employ the best, irrespective of gender, and my concern is that the pool that I choose from is not big enough and not equal enough in terms of gender, by a long way.

And its not big enough because we, in the Construction Industry, have not got our act together.

So who is to blame? I'm very clear on this one. Parents and Teachers.

It is parental and academic input that influences young people on the direction that they will follow in later life.

"We have to engage with schools to show young children what Construction is all about. And we have to stop chuntering on about gender quotas and other nonsensical rhetoric about our inability to attract women into Construction."

By the time young people get to University, College or into some form of tertiary training it's too late!

By the time young people choose their "A" level options it's too late! Indeed, by the time children choose their GCSE options it's too late!

We, within the Construction Industry, have to engage with and influence parents and teachers to encourage them to influence the children in their care to go down the Civil Engineering route or, at the very least, follow the STEM subjects.

We have to try, somehow, to encourage parents to buy construction toys for their daughters as well as sons.

We have to engage with schools to show young children what Construction is all about. And we have to stop chuntering on about gender quotas and other nonsensical rhetoric about our inability to attract women into Construction.

It's not the women we need to influence, it's young girls, and, yes, it will take at least a generation! Let's start planning our campaign now.

John Patch is a director of specialist contractor Roger Bullivant.