Diversity & Inclusion

At Encon Construction, we believe our greatest strength is our people. A diverse workforce brings different perspectives, experiences, and ideas that help us innovate, solve challenges, and deliver better outcomes for our clients and communities. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Inclusion is not just a principle for us, it is an essential part of how we work, collaborate, and grow.

Whether on site, in the office, or within our leadership teams, we strive to ensure every individual has equitable opportunities to develop their career and reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity is celebrated and inclusion is embedded in everything we do. The construction industry has traditionally faced challenges in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. At Encon Construction, we are committed to helping change that. Through targeted recruitment, apprenticeships, mentoring, and development programmes, we aim to attract talented individuals from all backgrounds and provide pathways for long-term career success.

Our Commitment

Creating equal opportunities for all employees.
Promoting fair and transparent recruitment practices.
Supporting career development and progression for underrepresented groups.
Building inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.
Providing a safe, respectful, and welcoming workplace for everyone.
Challenging discrimination, bias, and barriers to inclusion.

Creating Opportunities for Everyone

Encouraging more women into construction and leadership roles.
Supporting young people entering the industry through apprenticeships and work experience.
Creating opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities.
Removing barriers to employment and career progression.
Supporting employees with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

Case Study: Helping Women into Construction

At Encon Construction, we're committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented groups and helping build a more diverse construction workforce. Through our Women into Construction Career Changers Programme, we adopted a grassroots approach that focused on engaging women where they were, rather than expecting them to come to us.

Working closely with housing associations, contractors, and community organisations, we delivered a programme that combined recruitment, training, mentoring, and long-term support. To maximise accessibility, we hosted a series of smaller community-based recruitment events, promoted through local schools, libraries, community centres, shopping centres, and social media groups. We also provided childcare facilities to ensure women with young children could participate.

The programme offered a single point of contact, ongoing pastoral care, and enhanced professional development, helping women successfully transition into construction careers while balancing caring and financial responsibilities. Leaders and hiring managers across the programme also received training in unconscious bias and inclusive recruitment practices, creating a more welcoming environment for new entrants.

Impact

Engaged more than 200 women interested in construction careers.
Supported 20 female career changers into paid roles in painting and decorating, plastering, labouring, and plant operations.
Secured apprenticeship opportunities with living wage or minimum wage salaries, rather than traditional first-year apprentice rates.
Delivered industry-recognised training, including Health & Safety, CSCS, Asbestos Awareness, Manual Handling, PASMA, and CPCS qualifications.
Provided six days of additional CPD training to support successful career transitions.
Trained over 80 female mentors across the construction and built environment sectors.
Delivered unconscious bias training to more than 50 managers and recruitment decision-makers.

The success of the initiative was recognised through the Constructing Excellence People Development Award and SME of the Year Award, demonstrating the positive impact that inclusive recruitment, mentoring, and long-term support can have on improving diversity within the construction industry.

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Diversity & Inclusion

ENCON

BUILDING

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