Construction Inclusion Week: Opening Doors Starts With Leaders

By James Fleming, Managing Director of The Power Within Training

 

It’s Construction Inclusion Week, and this year’s theme is Opening Doors: Workforce Development. Now, that sounds great on paper, but in actual fact, the industry is at a crossroads. They’re crying out for hundreds of thousands of new workers, yet at the same time, too many doors are still being slammed shut.

We’ve heard the stories and seen the comments. Women pushed aside or ridiculed. Black and Asian professionals overlooked for promotions. Neurodiverse people written off because they “don’t fit the mould.” LGBTQ+ workers who feel they can’t bring their full selves to site.

That’s not inclusion. That’s bias. And it’s killing the future of our industry.

 

Why This Matters To Me

Folk have called it virtue signalling before, but honestly, I don’t care. This is something I believe in, and for me, it’s personal.

My wife and business partner, Enas, is from Yemen. In the early days of our business, I lost count of the times people totally ignored her in meetings and addressed me instead. My daughter Olivia now works in the business too, and I refuse to accept an industry where she, or anyone else, has to fight harder just to be seen.

And I’ve seen the other side. We’ve supported thousands of leaders across the UK, including women, ethnic minorities, and neurodiverse professionals, who are doing incredible work in construction every single day. They’re proof the problem isn’t talent. The problem is bias.

 

Leaders, This Is On You

Here’s the uncomfortable bit: inclusion lives or dies on leadership.

It’s not about policies gathering dust or hashtags on LinkedIn. It’s about how you run your sites and your offices. Who you give opportunities to. Who you listen to. Whose ideas you champion.

And it’s about challenging the “banter” that’s actually just discrimination dressed up as a joke. Because if your culture drives people out, it doesn’t matter how many apprenticeships you open, you’ll never close the skills gap.

 

Where Mindset Comes In

At The Power Within Training, our entire framework is built around Motivational Intelligence (MQ), the science of mindset. Why? Because bias is a mindset problem.

If you believe certain people don’t belong, you’ll act on it. If you believe talent only looks one way, you’ll miss out on it. But when leaders develop the mindset to challenge their own thinking, to take ownership, and to focus on growth rather than stereotypes, everything changes.

That’s what MQ does, it helps leaders catch themselves in the moments where bias creeps in and choose differently. It builds cultures where people are judged on their contribution, not their background.

 

What We’re Doing About It

We don’t pretend to be recruiters or careers advisers. What we do is work with the leaders already in place; the people who set the tone. Because when leaders change, cultures change.

That’s why we’ve developed programmes like:

• Women in Leadership for female leaders who want the tools, skills, and confidence to thrive in construction.
• Women in Management helping women build strong, successful teams.
• Deconstruct: Change the Status Quo our newest programme tackling equity, diversity and inclusion head-on, giving leaders the mindset and tools to lead inclusively, challenge bias, and build cultures that keep people in the industry.

These programmes exist because we’ve seen the reality. We’ve read the comments. We’ve listened to the lived experiences of people in the sector. This isn’t virtue signalling. This is the work.

 

Why It’s Urgent

The official theme for this year is Opening Doors: Workforce Development. And it couldn’t be more timely. The skills shortage in construction isn’t just a numbers problem, it’s a culture problem.

If you make the industry hostile, you drive away talent. If you make it inclusive, you attract it. Simple as that.

And the only way to shift that culture is by changing mindsets.

 

 

I’ve been nominated twice for the Male Ally Award at the Women in Construction Awards. I’m proud of that, but awards aren’t the point. The point is making this industry better for everyone, regardless of gender, race, background, or neurodiversity.

So my challenge to every leader this Construction Inclusion Week is this:

Are you opening doors, or keeping them shut?

Because the next generation is watching. And the choice you make will shape not just your business, but the whole industry.

 

If any of this has struck a chord, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a message, let’s have a conversation, because change in construction won’t happen unless we talk about it and do something about it.

And if this blog has resonated, please share it. Pass it on to someone in the industry. The more people we reach, the more chance we have of shifting mindsets and opening doors for everyone.

James Fleming
The Power Within Training,
The Motivational Intelligence Company
james@tpwtd.com