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be further training and upskilling for existing employees or offering apprenticeships for young people entering the industry .
“ I strongly believe that contractors should directly employ staff rather than follow an agency or self-employed model , so Seddon is quite unique because we employ both management and our own in-house tradespeople . An agency or self-employment model is not good for the worker ’ s wellbeing , as they ’ re never sure when their next job is coming from or where it ’ s located .”
When asked about being a woman in the construction industry , Nicola reflects : “ The position of women in construction has certainly evolved during my career , and there ’ s now no ceilings other than those we potentially build for ourselves . Women learn differently and consequently need to be developed differently than men , but there ’ s a fine line between alienating ourselves and giving women a voice .
“ Seddon sits in the top quartile of UK construction businesses from a gender pay gap perspective , and 20 per cent of our leadership and middle management team is made up of women . We ’ ve adopted specific policies around menopause , women ’ s health , and maternity to create a safe space that encourages open conversations .
“ We ’ re working to de-gender our application process and ensure we use inclusive language in our external communications . We ’ re also working with local schools to encourage young women to apply for our apprenticeships across plumbing , electricals , brickwork , joinery , and site manager schemes .”
From speaking with Nicola , it ’ s clear to see her passion and determination to positively influence the culture and policies at both Seddon and across the wider construction industry . With a general election on the horizon in the UK [ at time of writing ], Nicola finishes our conversation with her thoughts on what the new government should prioritise .
“ The UK Government needs to incentivise direct employment across the construction sector ,” she states . “ Generally speaking , the construction sector lacks pipeline visibility . We need to boost visibility to break the agency and self-employed labour model ; if companies know their projects and respective timelines , they ’ re more likely to directly employ .
“ Construction should be a priority for the new government , particularly to
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