Breaking Barriers and Building Quality in the Construction Industry
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) faces a challenge differentiating itself from outdated perceptions of the construction sector. But the innovative ways of working and greater work-life balance offered in MMC is changing the face of construction and bringing new talent to the industry.
Construction has typically been a homogenous industry. MMC, however, is now transforming that. Diversifying who works in the sector doesn't just bring new ideas to the world of construction – it also addresses a shortage of skilled MMC professionals.
Giselle Gallagher, a Quality Assurance Technician with off-site building company Vision Built, is one of the faces of this changing industry. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science highlighted her as one of its ‘Building Heroes’. This media campaign outlines the diversity of careers in construction and aims to change perceptions about who works in the sector and why they enjoy it.
It’s not something she expected when, uncertain about her future career, she pursued a rugby scholarship in the US after secondary school. After winning a national championship, she returned to Ireland without a firm career pathway in mind.
I’d always wanted to something hands-on, but ... if you asked me two years ago, even a year ago, I would have said there is no chance you'll catch me in the construction industry. But ... I absolutely love it; I’m really surprised with how much I do ... I come home from work and can’t wait to go back in again.
Quality Assurance Technician, Vision Built
Vision Built were hiring for their off-site construction facility in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo. Despite Giselle’s reservations for working in the building sector, the Quality Assurance Technician role offered much of the hands-on responsibilities she was looking for.
A tough decision was to be made. Vision Built, with their expertise in the off-site assembly of volumetric units, offered a safe and stable working environment, with no travel to building sites, and also meant Giselle wouldn't have to relocate from her native Sligo. The Quality Assurance Technician role also meant predictable working hours, so Giselle has time in the evenings and weekends for an active social and sporting life.
On the other hand, she questioned whether a young woman with no construction background would be welcome in an industry traditionally dominated by men.
I was just a 19-year-old girl going into this industry clueless. I thought everyone would say ‘what is she doing here’. It wasn’t the case at all; everyone made me feel welcome ... and we became a family really quickly. A woman coming into a male dominated industry is always going to be scary ... but I’m not treated differently just because I’m a woman.
Quality Assurance Technician, Vision Built
Her Quality Assurance Technician role is focused on testing Vision Bulit’s products to check they are compliant with national quality standards, defining quality control procedures and monitoring production. This is a key part of the building process and, thanks to MMC, can be done in Vision Built’s Tubbercurry assembly facility. She trained into the role on the job, with “learning something new every day” still crucial to her.
Giselle is the ideal example of the wider talent pool the MMC industry now attracts thanks to the more dynamic positions on offer and increasing diversity of the workforce. This greater access to people looking for careers in an exciting industry also means gaps in the MMC workforce can be addressed. Good for construction companies, good for construction professionals, and good for the Irish building market.
Joining Vision Built may have been the best career decision Giselle could have made. The same could well be true for a new generation of soon-to-be MMC experts.
