Empowering Women in Construction
Equate Scotland joins Balfour Beatty and East Lothian Works for Free Training Programme
Equate Scotland joins Balfour Beatty and East Lothian Works for Free Training ProgrammeLast week, Equate Scotland was proud to join Balfour Beatty and East Lothian Works for their Women in Construction free training programme — an inspiring initiative designed to remove barriers and create pathways into Scotland’s construction industry.
The programme offers women three weeks of hands-on training, essential qualifications, and employability skills to help them take the next step in their careers. With women currently representing around 15% of the UK construction workforce — and only 2% in site-based roles — opportunities like this are vital to increasing representation and building confidence in the sector.
As part of the employability sessions, Dr. Ellen Walker-Davis from Equate Scotland led an interactive workshop focused on CV and application writing. Participants explored how to identify personal and organisational values, use the CARL method, adapt CVs for different career stages, and highlight transferable skills from volunteering, community, or personal projects.
“It was a real pleasure to join Eliza Butter and Balfour Beatty on this programme,” said Dr. Walker-Davis. “The participants were such a resilient, determined, and resourceful group — they will be an asset to any organisation.”
Eliza Butter, Graduate Social Impact Coordinator at Balfour Beatty, reflected on the wider importance of the initiative:
“With women making up around 15% of the construction workforce but only 2% of site-based roles, programmes like this are essential. They build confidence, provide practical experience, and open doors to a sector that needs diverse talent to thrive. A huge thank you to Equate Scotland for joining us — the insights shared were invaluable.”
The programme continues this week with a site visit to Balfour Beatty’s Cockenzie PSEW project, giving participants the chance to gain practical on-site experience.
Equate Scotland is proud to collaborate with industry partners who share our commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusion in STEM and construction.
If your organisation could benefit from similar training or partnership opportunities, please get in touch:
