issue two: may 2009 - Halcrow

People paradeTaking a breakSisters aredoing it forthemselvesThe construction industry’s gender chasmhas been the subject of numerous studies, campaignsand initiatives, aimed at encouraging more womento don hard hats and enter the engineering industry.Women in the industry are few and far between – just onein ten within the construction sector. Halcrow is attempting toredress the imbalance by supporting Interconnect, a three yearproject to build a Scottish network for female science, engineeringand technology students. Women count for just 12 per cent of thesecourses, and the pronounced gender gap at college level means thereis unlikely to be a sudden influx in the near future.Women in the industry are few andfar between – just one in ten withinthe construction sectorDeveloped by the Scottish Resource Centre (SRC) for women inscience, engineering and technology (SET) at Napier University andfinanced by the Scottish Funding Council, the project is a partnershipWelsh dragonreaches middle ageRevelling in four decades of work in Wales, Halcrow’s 40 th birthdaybash transformed Cardiff’s National Museum from a hushedexhibition gallery to a festive party zone.Over 380 people – present and past employees, their partners, clientsand local students – crammed into the Welsh capital’s pre-eminentarchive to pay tribute to the company’s successes, and look towardsan equally glossy future.Halcrow’s chairman, Tony Pryor, and chief executive, PeterGammie, cracked open the champagne andmingled with guests.Welsh rootsWhile 1968 marks the launch of Halcrow’soperations in Wales, the company’sinvolvement in the area stretches backthrough reams of black and whitephotographs to the close of the 19 th century.Halcrow’s founder, Thomas Meik, was firstcommissioned to work on the Port TalbotDocks and Railway Company in 1898.between National Union of StudentsScotland and Equality Forward.Designed to both support existing students and encourage fresh faces,Interconnect will establish student groups and provide careers advice.Boosting the visibility of professional women forms a pivotal part ofthe project, providing students with industry role models and contacts.As part of the programme, Halcrow’s Jet Cameron – who, along withcolleague Shona Tait was key to organising the link up – shared herworking experiences in the planning and design team with NapierUniversity students. Both also feature on the Interconnect website.At least 50 people crammed into the Edinburgh office forthe Interconnect launch on 25 March 2009, held to raiseawareness and promote the Interconnect website, withregional director Jamie Baxter addressing the guests.The walls featured an unprecedented mix of irreplaceable artefactsand A-level artworks from Whitchurch High School’s Halcrowsponsoredart and design competition. Guests’ aural tastes werecatered to by the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan YouthOrchestra string quartet’s welcoming serenade, while the talentedstudents later swapped their visual feats for a choral programme.50Vox | issue two