NAWIC UK and Ireland CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!

NAWIC is an international organisation of women working in the construction industry. Our members include architects, lawyers, engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers and others working both directly in the industry and providing services to the industry. We organise events such as site visits, legal seminars, workshops and industry related events where our members have the opportunity of meeting and forming relationships with other professionals working within the industry.

Who are we

We are a not for profit organisation run on a voluntary basis by professional women working either directly in the Construction Industry or for businesses who provide services to the Construction Industry. We are truly unique in that our membership is made up of professionals from right across the industry including engineers, architects, lawyers, quantity surveyors, project managers, claims consultants, real estate agents and designers.

NAWIC is a global organisation with over 6,000 members worldwide in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. NAWIC UK and Ireland is divided into seven separate regions being London and South East, Southwest and Wales, Ireland, Midlands, North, Scotland and Middle East. Each region is represented at national level but run on a day to day basis by local committees.

What do we do

NAWIC encourages women to pursue, establish and sustain successful careers in the Construction Industry. We aim to promote the positives in the Construction Industry as a whole and to highlight the fantastic work carried out by professionals working in the Construction Industry. We organise regular events in each of the regions focusing on:

• Networking

Our events provide members with a valuable and unique opportunity to build a network of relationships with professionals engaged in different aspects of the Construction Industry. We aim to have a social get together at each of our events thereby ensuring members have the opportunity to meet people from the industry in a relaxed and informal setting.

• Education

We aim to educate our members on all relevant and topical issues arising in the Construction Industry. All of our presentations are provided by professionals with vast experience in their fields within the industry. We offer a platform for open debate on topical issues encouraging the sharing of knowledge and best practice and thereby contributing to the betterment of the Construction Industry.

• Site Visits

We regularly organise site visits to a wide range of construction projects from large scale developments to infrastructure projects. Our aim is to offer members the opportunity to visit all major projects in the regions. This affords our members the opportunity to showcase particular areas of expertise in the Construction Industry and also interesting projects on which they are working.

• Skills

We facilitate workshops focusing on the essential soft skills necessary to succeed in the industry. We have organised workshops on skills such as negotiation and networking.

Where did we come from

NAWIC was founded in Texas in 1952 by a small group of women keen to promote the role of women in the Construction Industry. It quickly spread across the US and then to Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. It was launched in the UK by Lorraine Elliot in 2002. The UK chapter was expanded to include Ireland in 2009 when Susan Bryson launched the Irish chapter. It has further expanded to include the Middle East reflecting the growing number of construction professionals relocating to the Middle East. Melanie Robson launched the Middle East chapter in Qatar in 2009.

We continue to grow from strength to strength across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East.

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