Celebrating women in construction: Margaret Conway has been named Construction Manager of the Year

Margaret Conway has been presented with the Construction Manager of the Year Award by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

In almost 40 years of the CIOB Awards, this is the first time a woman has won the title.

Conway (of Cookstown-based McAleer and Rushe) oversaw the construction of Belfast City Council’s new 100,000sq ft headquarters in the city centre.

Under her management, the project was completed under budget and two months ahead of schedule. Conway worked with Belfast City Council on a “major redesign”, and saved them £500,000 by reducing the height of the building, and a further £750,000 by adapting the existing raft foundations.

You can read more about the project here.

The CIOB said, “Beating 84 finalists to the trophy, Margaret's achievement is all the more spectacular because it was her first role as a construction manager.” They also went on to praise Conway for using her role “to inspire and encourage young people - especially women - to enter the industry”.

Conway has helped inspire young people to pursue a career in building and trades by organising tours and lectures with local colleges and arranging work experience placements for joinery, plumbing and electrical students.

At Kalcrest, we’ve noticed a significant rise in the number of women entering the construction sector over the past few years. Back in 2014, we were very happy to report that we had a 32% increase in the number of women registering with us for construction jobs, and we’ve continued to help more and more women find jobs since.

Industry-wide, a 2016 report from Randstad stated that the number of female construction workers was at an all-time high, with four times more women entering the industry than five years ago. It is expected that by 2020, 26% of the industry will be female - but we can do better.

The UK construction industry will need another million workers by 2020 - employing more women will only help to strengthen the sector and close the skills gap. And if outstanding workers like Margaret Conway continue to be given the recognition they deserve, we have no doubt that more young women will be encouraged to consider a career in construction.

Kalcrest Site Services are experts at helping skilled, experienced workers and tradespeople find jobs across all aspects of the construction industry, throughout the UK.

If you’re searching for your next job, apply for one of our current vacancies. Or if you need help recruiting staff for current or future projects, get in touch.