Women in construction association aims to bond with local companies

Friday 10 March 2023

The Jersey branch of the National Association of Women in Construction is hoping to cement a relationship with local businesses and build awareness of the opportunities for women in the sector with a new campaign.

Lucy Le Moignan and Emily Marie, who are both Quantity Surveyors at Tillyard, began laying the foundations for NAWIC Jersey in September 2020, before publicly launching in May 2022.

It is one of six branches of the NAWIC across the UK and aims to support women as a minority in a typically male dominated industry by highlighting careers in construction and providing chances to network and expand knowledge of the industry.

According to data from Jersey's 2021 Census, only 449 out of 6,458 islanders working in construction and quarrying were women, which is just under 7% of the sector.

In the UK, women make up 14% of the construction and quarrying workforce.

Pictured: Emily Marie and Lucy Le Moignan, co-founders of NAWIC Jersey

NAWIC Jersey is aiming to change that, and is now building on its foundations with an innovative three-part direct mail campaign, sponsored by Le Masurier and Pentagon, which is aimed at attracting new members and corporate partners.

The campaign broke ground on Monday with the delivery of a brick tied in purple ribbon to various local construction companies.

Speaking to Express, Emily Marie, the Deputy Chair and co-founder of NAWIC Jersey, said, "We thought it was a bit more interesting than an email, to catch people's attention and get people talking in their office rather than just sending an email to one person."

The next day, Tuesday, they sent out a trowel tied in purple ribbon, attached to which were leaflets with information for those interested in becoming corporate sponsors.

The third drop, which is due to happen on Friday, is an invitation for recipients of the campaign to seal up the relationship by bringing their brick and trowel to help build a play water feature for Mont A L'Abbe students to enjoy. The feature has been designed by Hannah Willcocks, a Plumber at Isle-Eco, and the rest of the NAWIC Committee.

At this event, which will take place in the coming weeks, participants will also be invited to rejuvinate old buildings with paint and network over food and drinks. Afterwards, the trowels will then be donated to Highlands College.

"So far, we have had a really positive response," Emily said. "We've already had some companies sign up, and many more want to get involved."

"We were delighted to be approached by Le Masurier and are thrilled they suggested kindly sponsoring the development of an integrated communications strategy to help us reach out to like-minded Islanders in our industry and beyond."

Pictured: The committee of NAWIC Jersey at one of last year's networking events.

Brian McCarthy, Managing Director of Le Masurier said: "We were so impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm of the NAWIC Jersey team that we were keen to support their objectives locally."

While NAWIC provide an inclusive space for all regardless of gender, one of their objectives is to inspire the next generation and show young women the diverse range of careers available across the industry.

"It's about awareness," said Megan Vautier, Treasurer of NAWIC Jersey and Assistant Quantity Surveyor at Rok, at a networking event on International Women's Day.

"When we were at school, we never heard about construction at all, and there are so many opportunities, and we all love it. There are only a few of us now, but we're growing."

GET INVOLVED...

NAWIC Jersey are offering four levels of partner sponsorship, and local businesses can choose a package which suits them best. These are steel (£200), aluminium (£500), zinc (£1000), and copper (£2000).

Contact jersey@nawic.co.uk to find out more or click here.