4 construction jobs that need more women
More and more women are choosing a career in construction, and it’s truly great to see. Despite being male dominated for so long (and let’s not beat around the bush, the industry is still predominantly male), construction offers women a somewhat unconventional, but frequently empowering and exciting workplace.
Benefits can include great pay, the opportunity to travel (as building practices around the world don’t differ hugely), as well as genuine career progression through the various roles and sectors within the industry.
Even as the ratio of men to women continues to equalise, there are still plenty of jobs that need more women in them – we’ve listed some below.
1. Dangerous Goods Storage
This is a niche within the construction industry and is a great one to specialise in. Developing your expertise in flammable gas storage or flammable liquid storage can provide you with versatile career options. Not only are there the aspects of physical storage itself, there are aspects of chemistry and science that come with knowing the characteristics of the fuels you are storing. This sort of work is varied (no getting stuck behind a desk here), and can provide great pay.
2. Project management
If you perhaps do enjoy a bit of office work but also like to get out and about on site, project management could be a perfect fit. A construction project manager will set up and oversee the project – everything from liaising with architects, staff and other specialists, to actually choosing what methods of construction will be most appropriate. This sort of role can really provide you with the best of both worlds, and provide a break from the heavily physical nature of working on site full-time.
3. Contract Administrator
This is another role that will see your time split between the office and site. A construction contract administrator is basically responsible for all the admin that comes with a construction project – and there’s a lot of it. You could do anything from preparing and inviting tenders to advising on appropriate business structures, from inspecting work on site to providing insurance advice. A contract administrator will be well placed to progress through the corporate structure of a construction company – so if that’s something you’re interested in, this could be the role for you.
4. Foreperson
For the more outdoorsy type who still likes being in charge, a foreperson role could be perfect. As a foreperson you are responsible for the oversight and management of construction crews on site. This involves ensuring the crews start and finish on time, onsite health and safety, and meeting with additional project staff to tackle any challenges pertaining to the construction. Forepeople generally enjoy a good work-life balance as they are (mostly) able to keep the same hours as construction crews and avoid the long nights that can arise in jobs with an admin focus.
So there you have it – these are just four construction jobs out of hundreds that could be chosen. But already you can start to see the depth and variation that a career in construction could potentially offer.