Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other
WISE, the campaign for gender balance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), carried out a research that showed the UK is on track to have 1 million women working in core STEM roles by 2020. There are over 900,000 women working in STEM currently and an estimated 200,000 women
The recent Why not physics? – a snapshot of females uptake at A-level report foreword from Professor Dame Julia Higgins, claims that “an ill-judged quip that girls ‘can’t’ do maths, or physics is ‘too hard’, can lead to girls making life-changing decisions that alter the subject they study or the
While, on the one hand there is reason for industry celebration, with the average salary of UK surveying professionals now being at the highest point it has been in nine years (up 7.1% across the sector as reported by RICS & Macdonald & Company), there are growing concerns as to
Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other female photographers and focusing on fashion, weddings and family portraits, she has chosen to specialise in the more male-dominated niche of construction and property photography. Sarah recently completed an eighteen-month project as official progress photographer for the Wells Maltings project in North Norfolk. Working closely with architects, contractors and the client team, Sarah’s images have become iconic in the retelling of this new cultural and arts centre’s story. Other regular clients include regional construction firms RobSon Construction Limited, who were the main contractor for the refurbishment of the Lady Elizabeth Wing on the Holkham Estate, Norwich-based surveyors Daniel Connall Partnership, Chaplin Farrant architects and most recently, Daylight Developments Ltd. She is due to start work on several projects this autumn in London, for a structural engineering consultancy in London. In recognition of her role within a traditionally male workplace, in September 2018 Sarah was selected to take part in the National Association of Women in Construction’s project, Image of Women in Construction. Aimed at highlighting the diversity and strength of women who work within the construction industry, to encourage the next generation of girls to consider it as a future career path, the project is being led by acclaimed architectural photographer Morley von Sternberg, FRIBA. As one of so few women specialising in construction and property photography, Sarah jumped at the chance to be involved in such an inspiring project and has subsequently joined Morley on a number of his commercial shoots. Sarah is keen to promote equality across the sector by showing young women that creative careers in the construction and architecture sector are open to all.
WISE, the campaign for gender balance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), carried out a research that showed the UK is on track to have 1 million women working in core STEM roles by 2020. There are over 900,000 women working in STEM currently and an estimated 200,000 women with STEM qualifications will reach working age within the next 2 years. The news was announced at WISE 2018 Awards presented by the Patron of WISE, HRH The Princess Royal. WISE’s annual Awards recognise inspiring individuals and organisations who are actively working to promote STEM to girls and women and drive change. Costain, Network Rail, EDF Energy, and BAM Nuttall were among some of the companies who collected Awards. “We need UK employers to do more and follow the great example of our Award winners who are leading the way. They have managed to get more women into engineering and technology, removed barriers preventing women moving up through the ranks and seen the benefits of doing so in terms of improved business performance. The great news is that there are more women than ever before coming onto the labour market with engineering and technology qualifications. If employers manage to recruit just half of these women, the UK will have achieved a major milestone,” explained Helen Wollaston, Chief Executive Officer for WISE. WISE also wants to see an increase in the proportion of girls choosing maths, physics, computer science and engineering, as well as making it easier for women who did not study these subjects at school, college or university, to obtain the relevant qualifications later in life. “A girl studying A level electronics told WISE recently that she feels her generation is on the cusp of finding new and better ways of creating things – in a sustainable way. Science and engineering and tech are fundamental to the future of the planet, we need women to take their rightful place in creating that new future,” concluded Helen at the end of the evening.
The recent Why not physics? – a snapshot of females uptake at A-level report foreword from Professor Dame Julia Higgins, claims that “an ill-judged quip that girls ‘can’t’ do maths, or physics is ‘too hard’, can lead to girls making life-changing decisions that alter the subject they study or the career they pursue.” In anticipation of International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, 2018, Lucy Speed, HR advisor at engineering solutions provider Boulting Ltd, explores what employers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries can do to attract more females into the sector. Engineering contributes 26 per cent of the UK’s GDP every year, yet reports suggest that the industry is facing an unprecedented skills shortage. But what can employers realistically do to encourage the next generation of female graduates to consider STEM as a viable career option? Role models and mentors Adopting a mentorship or simple ‘buddy’ system can help women that are joining the workplace feel like they aren’t alone in a disproportionate sector. Pairing employees up to share experience and knowledge helps to create an inclusive environment and can be beneficial in terms of retaining staff that thrive with social stimulation, particularly women. According to the Women Engineering Society (WES), who set up its own mentorship program to specifically support women in STEM roles, those who participated in the scheme benefited from increased confidence, improved listening and coaching skills as well as employment progression. At Boulting, we support our staff with dedicated mentors who support employees to achieve their goals across all levels of the organisation. Flexibility is key Providing a work environment that accommodates flexibility for different personal needs can also be beneficial in attracting female employees. Having an understanding for an individual’s needs, whether that be childcare requirements or being able to schedule time off work around holidays will allow your team members to reaffirm their work-life balance. Natalie Pancheri, HR policy advisor at the London School of Economics also says that “embedding a culture of flexibility begins to chip away at the types of issues that can prevent women from advancing in their careers.” It really can be win-win all round. Young minds By capturing the minds of the next generation of female STEM graduates, we will begin to see an increase in the number of girls pursuing a career in the sector. However, a lot of the work to do this must start at school level. Integrating STEM-style learning through dedicated activities or guest speaker sessions from those in the industry into classrooms, will begin to pave the way for students to consider their future paths. Working with and supporting teachers to understand what a STEM career can actually entail will also open up conversations with students about what is possible. Additionally, organisations, like Boulting, that incorporate student reach-out or collaboration programmes to help harness the enthusiasm and talent from younger generations has the potential to lead to more interest in STEM education and apprenticeship opportunities. At Boulting we have a longstanding and successful apprenticeship scheme that has been the springboard for many employees’ careers in the organisation. Our scheme offers the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and experience across a wide range of engineering sectors including chemical, pharmaceutical, petro-chemical and renewable energy markets. While some progress has been made to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM industries, women are still firmly in the minority. Particularly in UK engineering, where, according to the Women in Engineering Society (WES), the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe and only eleven per cent of the engineering workforce is female. It’s important for organisations in the engineering sector to recognise the importance, and potential, of the future female workforce and secure any opportunity to help promote science, technology, engineering and maths as exciting and rewarding prospective career path.
While, on the one hand there is reason for industry celebration, with the average salary of UK surveying professionals now being at the highest point it has been in nine years (up 7.1% across the sector as reported by RICS & Macdonald & Company), there are growing concerns as to the continued gender pay gap holding women back from succeeding in a surveying profession. At present, the gender pay gap for industry entrants sits at 28.7%, with male property professionals earning circa £7000 more than female property professionals on average. Though the 7.1% increase for 2016 is notable, and welcomed by the sector, the slow speed at which the gender pay gap has reduced is news not so welcome to women across the industry. It is true that the gender pay gap has closed marginally, reducing from 27% to 25.9% over the last year on average, yet, for those aged between 18-22 the gap sits at a colossal 28.7% which will no doubt be dissuading aspiring female property professionals. As a result, there are parties across the industry clamouring for action to be taken, raising awareness of these concerning figures, reducing some of the barriers to entry for aspiring female professionals, and, in effect, creating a far more balanced workforce built upon talent, not gender. One of the highlighted ways in which companies can work towards this is through more inclusive practices that support all of the workforce, not solely a small majority of it. As such, RICS has launched its very own Inclusive Employer Quality Mark, urging employers to place inclusivity at the heart of their organisation, much like safety, sustainability or local community integration. Urging firms to sign up and display their dedication to such inclusivity, Justine Wallis-Leggett, RICS Equalities Manager commented that, until commitment to change is displayed by within the wider industry, it is highly unlikely that we will see any real change in figures such as these any time soon, highlighting this will only support the, “Subsequent drift of talent away from our sector.”
