Whilst construction has always been a male dominated field, the percentage of women working in the industry has been steadily growing! Women make up around 15% of the construction workforce, but this is set to rise. A staggering 37% of new construction workers, entering the workforce from higher education, are female.
The majority of the women working in the construction industry, 81% of them, are in administration and design roles with only 1% working within skilled trades. But, this is set to change!
Women are also taking ownership within the industry, 13% of construction firms are now owned by women.
(Statistics taken from Simian.)
With the growing skills shortage in the construction sector, an influx of women to the industry is crucial. According to Government data, approximately 251,500 extra workers will be required to meet UK construction output by 2028.
It’s not clear why more women are joining the construction field, and could be a mix of reasons! The appeal may stem from the variety of career opportunities and apprenticeships, a more welcoming environment for women that previously perceived, or the increase in female role models within the industry.
That’s why we’d like to shine a spotlight on Cassie, with whom we worked with recently at The Muni, Colne.
Dr Cassandra Crawford, co-founder of Calibre Conservations and Senior Conservator, completed both structural and restoration works; including structural work and gilding to the balcony, decorations and gilding to the coat of arms, and gilding to the columns. She added Lincrusta to the balcony and auditorium walls, a type of thick, textured and extremely durable wallpaper sympathetic to the age of the building. Cassie also painted the stage curtain and created new signage, using traditional sign writing techniques.
Having worked for leading conservation companies on many high profile projects, she co-founded Calibre Conservation in June 2017. As well as being a skilled general conservator, she specialises in stone conservation, decorative surfaces and paint research.
It was an honour to work with Cassie on such a huge project, and we hope to work on future opportunities as well.