Intl. Women’s Day 23

8th March 2023

Etymologically, the root word they share is aequus, meaning “even” or “fair” or “equal” – which led to equity being from the Latin aequitas, and equality from aequalitas. Yet, despite these similarities, equity and equality are inherently different concepts, and the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to help forge worldwide conversation about this important issue and its impact.

So, what’s the difference between equity and equality – and why is it important to understand, acknowledge and value this?

The IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to get the world talking about why “equal opportunities are no longer enough” – and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive.

Let’s start with a basic definition of each word.

Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

At NPORS, our aim has always been to ensure consistent standards and equal opportunities.

For International Women’s Day, we had a little catch up with a few of our Training Providers, internal instructors and our Managing Director about how they have got to where they are today.

When asked about their experiences, it was very clear that each had taken very different routes but Amanda, one of our NPORS monitor and member of the technical team, hit the nail on the head with, “through hard work and a desire to succeed.”

Julie Senior, NPORS Managing Director, could not agree with Amanda more. Julie took a leap of faith 28 years ago and joined a new business that had only traded a year at that time. The company could have failed or survived, but it not just survived, it thrived. It was not her first experience in a male dominated industry, after working in an engineering background, she was all too familiar with the wolf whistles and oversite because of her gender. But despite those knock backs, Julie battled through and made many sacrifices to be where she is now and can now take a positive outlook on that journey. Julie learnt all the skills from the bottom up and to this day would never give a member of staff a job she would not do herself.

Sharon from Shorecliffe Training, comes from a Civil Engineering and Plant Hire family and growing up was often seen on an excavator or a roller. She described how a Sunday family outing could be at sewage works pricing out jobs – not your average start. She found her feet after completing a Building Studies course and then through the HNC in Construction. Once the purchase of the training business was acquired, the learning did not stop there. To better understand the courses, she took course after course, a shining example of personal and professional growth. Now Sharon has a great team working with her, many first language welsh speakers, and still bases her days on “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”.

Like Sharon, Jennifer from JW Corporate started operating plant machine at a young age, working with the family business. Jennifer remembers having a particularly negative experience with an instructor when she was just 17; sadly, bullying was the issue but that did not stop her. From that day on Jennifer was more determined that it was the career path for her but that she was going to do it the right way. At 18, she set up her own business, some threats, insults and abuse from trainees who cannot accept a female trainer continue however the genuine and truly inspirational people she meets far outweigh any negatives.

Both Carol from Bon-Accord Training and Lois from Collins Training came into the industry from an administration starting point, ending up being the “go to” people for knowledge about all aspects of the courses. They both agreed that it was hard work that resulted in the levels of responsibility that they both currently hold in their different management positions.

Whilst agreeing that their roles needed hard work there was resounding agreement on the obstacles that they had to overcome. Lois said, “The main judgement was being a young woman in a man’s world. A lot of men made it clear they would rather talk to – a man who knew what he was talking about- instead of me”. The common thread throughout the interviews with these women was the continuous need to prove themselves as fit for purpose in their chosen careers, more so than a man would be expected to do.  Julie Senior found that she had to prove herself to the instructors by learning how to operator the machinery, battling her fear of heights and vertigo, up the tower crane she went. Did it beat her fear of heights? – not exactly!

Amanda described her approach: “I always went that extra mile to get an extra qualification or gain extra experience wherever and whenever I could. I ignored the doubters and let my knowledge and work ethic speak for itself”. I think it is safe to say with all these women that their dedication and consistency does speak for itself.

We only spoke to a few of the many women that have worked hard to be where they are and so we asked what advice they have for the next generation of women who want to enter a male dominated industry?