Pannonia representatives at the international training in Ireland, part of the Women Empowered in Construction project

Representatives of Pannonia are taking part in an international training in Sligo, Ireland, held within the project Women Empowered in Construction – WEC. The training brings together educators, trainers and specialists from vocational education, the construction sector and skills development, with the aim of strengthening the inclusion of women in construction and creating better, more open and more accessible educational opportunities in the field.

WEC works to empower women in construction by developing a digital training toolkit, running workshops, and building the capacity of vocational education and industry representatives for more inclusive practice in education and at work. The project aims to make women in construction more visible, to improve understanding of the obstacles they meet, and to develop concrete educational solutions that can support their professional development.

During the training participants work on subjects such as professional development and leadership, workplace culture, team dynamics, health and safety at work, and innovation, digitalisation and sustainability in construction. The programme includes interactive and practical sessions, work on real cases, exchange between partners, and plans for putting what is learned to use in their own organisations and local communities. The training runs from 24 to 31 May 2026 in the Sligo and Manorhamilton area and brings together more than 20 participants from Europe and the Western Balkans.

For Pannonia the training matters particularly because it is where the curriculum that has been developed is tested and its usefulness checked in real educational and sector conditions. Working with international partners, Pannonia’s representatives contribute to analysing the content, giving feedback, and identifying where the curriculum can be adapted further to the needs of educators, of women who want to enter or advance in construction, and of the organisations that deliver educational programmes.

Taking part also connects Croatian experience with European practice in vocational education, gender equality and the development of green and digital skills. Exchange with partners gives a better understanding of the challenges different countries share, and brings to light concrete tools that can be used to motivate women, increase their safety and confidence, and create a more inclusive working environment in construction.

The training in Sligo is an important step in developing and testing the project results, because it lets the curriculum be seen not as a theoretical document but as a practical educational tool that has to be understandable, usable and useful to the people it is for. The feedback gathered during the training will go into improving the material and preparing it for wider use through the project.

Through Women Empowered in Construction, Pannonia continues to work on subjects that tie together education, employability, inclusion and sustainable development. Taking part in the training in Ireland confirms once more how much international cooperation matters in creating educational programmes that answer real labour market needs and open room for greater participation by women in sectors where they are still under-represented.