The Housing Executive has met with Women's Tec to discuss the potential barriers that females who want to join the construction industry face.

Claire King from Women's Tec visited the Housing Executive's Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) office to spend time with staff who deliver repair and maintenance services to Housing Executive tenants.

The visit also raises awareness of the partnership between the Housing Executive and Women's Tec, a Northern Ireland based charity which supports women to take greater advantage of opportunities in sectors where women are typically under-represented.

Tara Kelly, Equality, Diversion and Outreach Manager for the Housing Executive said: "The Housing Executive became Women’s Tec #NotJustForBoys champions in March 2023 to demonstrate our commitment to supporting and empowering women to access training and opportunities in traditionally male dominated industries.

-- Advertisement --

"This was a great opportunity to educate our staff around the barriers that women and girls can face and identify ways to make our working environments more accessible and inclusive for women and men.

"We are looking forward to developing our partnership with Women’s Tec and are planning an event in the new year to provide a taster day for women interested in taking on trades roles."

Gary Davison, DLO Portadown Depot Manager, said: "It was really interesting for our team to hear from Claire about the work that Women’s Tec does and to get a better understanding of some of the challenges for women and girls who want to join our area of work.

"We are keen to attract more women into our industry and to create employability pathways that will support them."

Claire King, from Women’s Tec, said: "I was delighted to be involved in this initiative. The Housing Executive have been fantastic champions and this demonstrates how committed they are to making their workplaces more diverse and accessible for women and girls."