Balfour Beatty has shared its plans to encourage more women into the trade occupations needed to deliver the Lower Thames Crossing.
Speaking at a careers event at Thurrock College in Essex, Balfour’s skills, education and employment lead, Charlotte Condon, discussed the contractor’s commitment to engaging with local communities.
“In terms of impact on the economy of the surrounding areas, the Lower Thames Crossing is huge, and we want to be able to use it as an opportunity to recruit people from the local area in the hope it can create new opportunities to benefit the community and leave a lasting skills legacy,” Condon said.
She added that ensuring pathways for more women into trade occupations is “more vital than ever”.
The company is aiming for 50% of all employees on the project to be female.
“At Balfour Beatty, we’re committed to playing our part in helping to achieve this by working with partners like Thurrock College to inspire more female students to opt into STEM subjects as early as possible,” Condon said.
“The career paths are there for more women to join the construction trade. It’s not just about building sites, we need more designers and engineers too.”
