Attracting and Retaining Female Students in Construction Related Programs

The number of females moving into professional field is remarkable and almost as equal as the statistics of men entering into professional field. However, anecdotal and empirical evidences show that the construction industry is still male dominated. The construction industry is experiencing serious skill shortages and the current male dominated workforce is aging. It is believed that women can be relied on to bridge the skill gap and the aging population. Tertiary institutions have been identified as gates through which future entrants enter into any industry of choice. Yet, evidences reveal that female enrollment in construction related programs is abysmally low. This paper is aimed at identifying strategies for attracting and retaining female students in construction related programs. The paper adopted a desk research approach. The major strategies for attracting females in construction related programs include: adequate career counseling, a gender inclusive learning environment, exposure to female role models and personal motivation from the student. For female students to be retained in construction related programmes there has to be obvious changes in the industry. Hence the two effective strategies for retaining female students are: improving the image of the industry and improving work life balance. The findings have implications for the construction industry. Given reported cases of skill shortages and the existing aging population, females can bridge the gap. Hence, construction stake holders and indeed educators need to adopt the identified strategies for attracting and retaining females in construction related programmes.