College Hosts Girls into Construction Event

Earlier in July, Hartlepool College welcomed Year 9 girls from local schools to its campus for a Girls into Construction event, designed to introduce young women to the wide range of careers available in the construction industry.
The event brought pupils face-to-face with employers and professionals from across the sector, including representatives from Bowmer & Kirkland and Turner & Townsend, Carney Consultancy, and others, as well as members of G4C (Generation 4 Change) North East, which forms part of Constructing Excellence. Girls took part in hands-on activities including bridge building, site risk assessment, and budgeting exercises, giving them a taste of the practical and technical skills construction careers demand.

Construction remains a male-dominated industry, and events like this aim to challenge outdated perceptions and show girls that the sector offers genuine, varied career paths - from site-based trades to design, quantity surveying, and project management.

Niamh Griffiths, a teacher from Eden Academy Trust - Stranton Primary School, brought a group of her students along to the event. She said encouraging girls into industries like construction from an early age matters because it broadens their sense of what's possible, rather than limiting them to familiar or expected paths.

"For girls to be open to this area so early on in their lives, and to see them understand that it's a legitimate career choice available to them, is really inspiring," she said. "It's not about handing them a list of possible jobs and saying 'here you go, that's it' - it's about showing them there's a bigger world out there for them to explore and broadening their horizons."

Niamh praised the practical activities on the day, particularly the bridge-building challenge and the risk-identification exercise, which she said captured the girls' imaginations, while those with a more academic bent gravitated towards the budgeting task. She added that it's vital girls grow up understanding that whatever opportunities exist for boys are open to them too.

Representatives from industry were equally enthusiastic about the impact of the day. Jess Morgan, a Quantity Surveyor at Bowmer & Kirkland, and Rebecca (Becca) Watt, a Cost Manager at Turner & Townsend, both attended as part of their work with G4C North East - a network of young professionals dedicated to encouraging the next generation into construction careers.

Jess explained that she got involved in events like this because she wants to give back and to challenge the misconceptions she encountered herself as a student, when she assumed construction meant "hard hats and boots on muddy, wet sites" and knew no one in the industry to show her a clearer picture of what construction jobs entailed.

She was encouraged that some of the girls in attendance already knew what a quantity surveyor was, taking it as a sign that "construction careers are being discussed more in schools, even from a young age, and that mindsets are changing." Jess added that Turner & Townsend has supported several careers events at Hartlepool College and hopes to welcome some of the girls onto its sites in the future.

Becca, who entered the industry through an apprenticeship and went on to gain a degree through it, was keen to highlight that a traditional university route isn't the only way into a construction career. She pointed to record demand for apprenticeships as evidence of how much the sector has opened up, and encouraged girls to explore their options early, given how competitive places have become.

Both Jess and Becca commented on how engaged the girls were throughout the day, with Becca noting how many thoughtful questions came from the group - a sign, she said, that attitudes are shifting fast.

Events like this form part of the College’s ongoing commitment to raising aspirations among young people across the region and building stronger links between schools, colleges and industry. By giving girls early, direct access to real professionals and hands-on experiences, the College hopes to keep opening doors into careers that too many young women have historically been steered away from.