To celebrate Pride Month and highlight the importance of diversity within the construction and built environment sector, Go Construct has collaborated with Building Equality to shine a light on why inclusion matters across our industry.
Building Equality is an alliance of built environment consultants, engineers, developers, contractors and institutions who are passionate about working together and harnessing collective power to drive LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the construction, engineering and built environment industry.
By speaking with Vicky Thorburn and Kacper Pietrasz, both National Executive members at Building Equality, we’ve explored in greater depth why Pride Month is significant for the construction industry, the many benefits that diversity and inclusion bring to the sector, and what more can be done to champion diversity and ensure this industry is a welcoming industry.
Kacper Pietrasz - Apprentice Engineering Geologist (Level 7) at Jacobs
Why is Pride Month important to the construction industry?
“Pride Month is an opportunity for the construction industry to visibly demonstrate its commitment to inclusion, respect, and equality – representing the industry in its whole regardless of someone’s background.
“Recognising Pride signals that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is valued and has a place in the industry.
“It helps challenge stereotypes, break down stigma, and create safer environments where people can be themselves at work. Ultimately, it reinforces that construction is evolving into a modern, people-focused industry that embraces diversity and inclusion.”
What benefits does diversity bring to the construction industry?
“As the construction industry currently battles a number of significant challenges, such as high energy and material prices and labour and skill shortages, diversity is one of the greatest assets to the industry.
“Ensuring that we have a welcoming environment where everyone is respected, represented, and included allows us to attract the best and brightest minds – diversity should be seen as an immense asset where people with various backgrounds feel comfortable offering different perspectives and solutions to the problems we are trying to address.
“It should also be noted that diversity doesn’t just benefit us from a skills standpoint, it also serves to ground the industry by reflecting the very communities that we serve on a daily basis.”
Vicky Thorburn - Head of People Data & Insights at Buro Happold
What more can we do to promote and champion diversity in the construction industry?
“The biggest thing we can do is stop treating this as just a June event, and to continue the conversation and the culture all year. Pride Month is brilliant for visibility, but inclusion is an everyday commitment.
“The organisations that we see genuinely moving the needle are the ones taking quiet, consistent action all year round, not just when the flags go up. Our industry needs leaders who speak specifically about LGBTQIA+ inclusion rather than hiding behind vague "diversity" language, better data so we can actually see whether things are improving, and a conscious effort to link every skills gap initiative to a diversity lens.
“The talented people are out there and ready to solve the challenges of our industry - we just need to make sure the industry deserves them and welcomes them into an environment where they can excel.”
How do we ensure the construction industry is welcoming for people from diverse backgrounds?
“It starts with being honest that an annual toolbox talk in June and a zero-tolerance policy on the noticeboard isn't enough. Real inclusion means leaders who authentically walk the talk, training that goes beyond a one-off tick-box exercise, and a culture where discriminatory "banter" gets routinely challenged rather than laughed off.”
“It means looking at everything – from simple things like whether your PPE comes in the right sizes, to whether your recruitment is reaching communities you've never traditionally spoken to.”
“None of it is rocket science, but it does require genuine commitment rather than the kind of inclusion that only shows up in June waving a flag. Consistency is the key to creating cultures where we can all forge careers.”
How can diversity drive innovation and expand the talent pool to help close the skills gap in the construction industry?
“CITB has estimated that our industry needs an estimated 200,000 additional workers by 2030, and we know that we’re already struggling to attract talented people into many roles within the built environment.
“A more inclusive industry isn't just a nicer place to work, it's a smarter business strategy: diverse teams make better decisions, come up with better ideas, and stick around longer.
“When you're building the homes, schools and hospitals that everyone uses, it absolutely makes sense to have a workforce that actually reflects the people you're designing and building them for. Our industry needs to be reflective of the communities we are part of.”