The aim of the CLF’s National Equity and Inclusion Plan (NEIP)* is to get more women and more people from ethnic minority heritage into the construction industry.
In the construction industry in Scotland 15.4% are women and only 2.7% of starts in Modern Apprentices are female; 1.6% of works in Scottish construction are from a minority ethnic background compared with 4.3% of minority ethnic workers in Scotland as a whole.
The NEIP sets out “Six by 2026” strategic aims for the CLF. These aims include the sharing of best practice across industry, using data and industry feedback to benchmark progress, signposting to a range of resources for companies to access and development of industry-wide E&I accreditation.
Scottish construction’s diversity drive has been funded by the Scottish government.
Business minister and Construction Leadership Forum chair Ivan McKee said: “I recognise that we face new economic and social challenges of an unprecedented scale. This plan aims to support wider efforts to address inequality and promote greater diversity within the Scottish construction sector to encourage inclusive growth and help address labour shortages.
“Companies with better records of fair work, equity and inclusion do better, have a healthier and more engaged workforce and demonstrate greater diversity of thought. Fairness and inclusiveness encourage better relations with partners, shareholders, customers and employees.
“It will help support the increased resilience of construction and reinforce wider efforts to create a more sustainable economy, in line with the Scottish government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.”
Lesley Quinn, corporate affairs director of Glasgow contractor City Building, said: “We have worked hard to develop E&I across our business from our 200 apprentices to our leadership team, and the results have been outstanding. There is a growing depth of best practice in and outside of the sector, so it is encouraging to see that sharing this is part of the NEIP.”
Arcadis technical director Emma Dickson, industry co-chair of CLF’s skills and workforce subgroup, said: “It is critical that the industry takes action to be more diverse and inclusive. The plan sets out key areas that we should focus on to make that happen. Larger construction companies are making improvements, but many SMEs need tangible support to make the changes needed. The next steps will be critical to make sure this happens.”
* CLF’s National Equity and Inclusion Plan can be downloaded here.
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