Cork CIF Chair: ‘We need to encourage more girls into construction industry’

Women remain one of the greatest untapped resources within the construction industry, with only 5-6% of all girls’ schools offering construction studies or engineering subjects as options for the Leaving Certificate.

The startling statistic is highlighted by the new Chairperson of the Cork branch of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), Patsy Supple, who is passionate about the need for more young people, especially females, to consider careers in the sector.

Patsy has worked in the construction sector all her life, with her family’s main contracting and development business and, in more recent times, running a development company that focuses on delivering residential units on in-fill sites in Cork city.

She broke new ground by being the first daughter to follow her father into the role as Chair of the Cork Branch back in 2007.

“Unfortunately, times were about to change and change quite dramatically. The world financial crisis and subsequent property crash hit very hard as many businesses, including our own, struggled to keep their heads above water, and many people within the sector were forced to seek work overseas,” she said.

“This collapse had a huge impact on the sector. We are still counting the cost of the lack of productivity and investment over many years, the most notable of which is the housing crisis we are experiencing today,” she said.

That said, Patsy was delighted to reprise her role when asked to do so.

“We are now facing into a period of unprecedented growth and positivity in general in the industry. Notwithstanding the energy crisis, the sector has proved its resilience time and time again. It’s great to be involved in the sector and the CIF at such an exciting time. It is very rewarding to be at the coalface of the sector and be able to make contributions that help influence change.

“It is also an opportunity to use the platform to encourage more women into the industry, something that is very important to me.”

Making the sector attractive

With 35 years’ experience in the building and property sector, Patsy knows better than most that construction is a male-dominated industry; however, the dial is moving, albeit slowly.

“But we need to offer more construction subjects to girls in secondary school. We are actively encouraging females into many other wonderful careers, but are not offering construction as a meaningful choice. This needs to change at the Department of Education level.

“We need to demonstrate that there is a career path for women in this industry and the CIF put a lot of effort into doing just this. We have some amazing ambassadors actively promoting their careers in the industry, and we need to see more of this so that young women can see it and be it!”

Not every physical role is suitable for everyone regardless of gender, but gender alone should not be seen as a barrier, she stressed.

“Construction management is a very dynamic career path and expands into every aspect of the industry. Civil Engineering is a great career choice if you are maths-orientated, as is Quantity Surveying. Health and Safety professionals are also always in high demand.

“My advice is to talk to your career guidance counsellor, seek work experience with businesses within the sector, and talk to people who already work in construction. Life will never be boring if you choose a career in this sector!”

Challenges

The Cork woman said that one of the biggest challenges currently facing the sector is the length of time it takes to get projects started.

“A small housing scheme can take five years from the moment a site is purchased to the moment the homes are delivered.

“For larger projects - whether it is housing, a school, a hospital or road project - that timeline can easily stretch to 10 years or more before construction even begins. And that is assuming that water, power and infrastructure are already in place.

“If we are truly going to address Ireland’s housing and infrastructure challenges, we must look closely at how we reduce unnecessary delays before projects even reach the site stage.

“The lack of housing supply is something that everyone can relate to, regardless of where you sit in the supply chain.

“Local authorities are preparing to zone more land to try to meet housing demand. It is very important that any additional zoned land is also serviced land, otherwise, we are not going to make the in-roads required to solve the problem,” she said.

“The Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan is an ambitious but very achievable road map to delivering the much-needed infrastructure to service current and additional land, and it is one of the most essential pillars to solving the housing crisis. It is vital that this plan is supported by all stakeholders and is allowed to complete its mandate,” she added.

Logjams in the planning system need to be removed, Patsy said.

“Timelines for decisions need to be respected and enforced, and if additional resources are required for this to happen, then so be it.”

Ultimately, she says more co-operation is needed between the various state agencies and the construction sector.

“The housing crisis is a shared problem and will only be solved if we address it as such,” she stated.

In the immediate term, she’s calling for young people to consider careers in the sector, in particular young women.

“They remain one of our greatest untapped resources. If we ever think construction might not be a suitable career for women, then perhaps it is time for all of us to ask what changes we need to make to ensure that it is.”