Moving On Up

Moving on Up is a programme to support construction companies in retaining and progressing women in their businesses.

The programme aims to support companies’ ambitions to improve their gender diversity through direct support of women and supervisors in their employment* and to create company-wide gender diversity action plans for change.

We are now opening applications for 15 construction companies to participate in our next programme.

Funded by Trust for London, this 18-month programme will support women in low pay (less than £14 /hour) working for construction companies in London to progress in their careers through a mix of formal group training, 1-1 coaching and mentoring, additional technical training and peer group networking.

It will also support 15 senior leaders and 15 first-line supervisors of the women within these construction companies to understand the business benefits of more diverse teams, giving them practical tools to support the progression of women in their business and help close the gender pay gap in construction.

Due to the success of our pilot Moving on Up programme in 2020, that saw a social return on investment of £2.55 for every £1 invested, we are delighted to invite companies to sign-up to benefit from our next programme.

* Women can be employed directly or via your subcontractors or labour agencies.

Two women working cement mixer on construction site

What does the programme include?

£7,500 worth of corporate training for up to 4 participants for just £750 per company.

  • Senior Leaders will benefit from:

    • Sharing best practice with other industry leaders
    • A challenging workshop programme from WiC’s Diversity and Inclusion specialist Yvonne Howard
    • Personal insight on how to drive change in your business
    • Expert advice on Gender Pay Reporting from Spktral Ltd including sector benchmarking
    • Access to WiC’s Diversity Assessment Tool to support company wide gender diversity action planning.
  • Supervisors will benefit from:

    • Coaching in a safe environment, aimed at helping them become agents of change delivered by WiC’s Diversity and Inclusion expert Yvonne Howard
    • Training on unconscious bias and the business case for diversity to help them identify the behaviours, cultures and attitudes needed to create a supportive work environment for women
    • Personal development around leadership styles, coaching and mentoring techniques
    • Peer group support from other managers of diverse teams
    • Tools and techniques including having difficult conversations and giving positive feedback.
  • Women will benefit from:

    • Dynamic peer to peer group support within a safe environment, guided by WiC’s expert Mentoring coach Judeline Nicholas
    • 1-1 coaching sessions with a WiC coach and WiC project manager, Kirstie Forrester
    • Gain new skills, personal and professional confidence and contacts in the industry
    • Increased awareness of the career paths in construction and how to progress within it
    • Access to additional funding (up to £350) for training to support progression.

How will this benefit your business?

  • Greater understanding of what to tackle to reduce your gender pay gap and how to do it.
  • Improved supervisory and leadership skills for your business – with a greater awareness on the business benefits of diverse teams
  • Direct support for women in your business to progress their careers
  • Ability to demonstrate your positive actions on gender diversity for new tenders and positive public relations
  • £7,500 worth of corporate training for up to 4 participants for just £750 per company.

If you would be interested in becoming a participating company on our next Moving on Up programme, please contact Kirstie Forrester.

In their own words

“My colleagues and I set up a women-only support group following on from the MoU programme to widen the support to others. We help address any internal issues women are facing, for example supporting mothers returning to work. Our open discussions, and feedback for internal business development also help increasing general mental health & wellbeing.”

“Yvonne really helped everyone to think about the issues concerning equality and diversity in the workplace and how our learned attitudes could be adapted to create more positive, inclusive outcomes.”

“It has also made me feel more confident about not feeling I have imposter syndrome and I feel confident in my role and that I had earned what I achieved with my success.”

Funded by

Trust for London logo

Accredited by

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