Women Empowered in Construction (WEC): a project opening doors for women in construction

The construction sector in Europe has faced a double challenge in recent years: a growing shortage of skilled labour and a long-standing gender imbalance. Available data show that women make up only a small share of those employed in construction, particularly in European Union countries and the Western Balkans. At the same time demand for workers keeps rising, and the sector is looking for sustainable solutions to secure economic development and the delivery of infrastructure projects.

The project Women Empowered in Construction (WEC), a transnational initiative funded through the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, was launched to help answer these challenges. It is delivered by organisations from seven countries and sets out to increase women’s participation in the construction industry through innovative vocational education and training (VET) programmes. The consortium comprises organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Spin/Okret), Ireland (Future Cast), Lithuania (Vilnius University), Croatia (Pannonia Consulting), Germany (Outside Media and Knowledge), Montenegro (Srednja građevinsko-geodetska škola inž. Marko Radević) and Albania (Child Rights Centre – CRCA Albania). The project runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026, the grant amounts to EUR 345,693, and it was approved under capacity building in vocational education and training (VET), key action Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices.

WEC aims to strengthen women with knowledge, technical and soft skills, and also to create a supportive environment in which they have equal opportunities to advance. The project aligns with EU priorities on modernising VET, increasing the resilience of the workforce and promoting gender equality, and its wider aim is to shape a construction industry that is inclusive and sustainable in the long term.

Over 2025 and 2026 the project will carry out a series of strategic activities directed at developing systemic solutions. The first phase will involve labour market research, policy analysis and a review of the vocational education programmes currently on offer in the seven partner countries. On the basis of that data a needs assessment will be drawn up as the foundation for developing new educational materials and programmes. In parallel, a digital learning platform will be built, holding interactive materials, articles, good practice stories and online modules designed around the needs of women in the construction sector.

The central outcome of the process will be four innovative VET curriculum modules for women who want to enter the construction industry or advance professionally within it. Twenty-four educators will be trained to use the newly developed materials. Through further tools, workshops, courses and animated video guides, the project will also support capacity building in VET institutions and construction companies. Local events, networking and a final conference will be organised to disseminate the results.

Pannonia Consulting’s role in the project

The Croatian partner, Pannonia Consulting, has an important role in ensuring the project is delivered expertly and systematically, particularly in work package 2 (WP2), which covers labour market research, mapping existing VET programmes and assessing the sector’s needs.

As lead partner for WP2, Pannonia coordinates data collection and analysis in all partner countries, leads the preparation of the research report on labour shortages and gender imbalances, and steers the mapping of existing educational programmes and resources in construction and gender equality. The final step of WP2 is a needs assessment report, which will give clear guidance for developing the curriculum, the digital platform and the training materials in the project’s later phases.

Through these responsibilities Pannonia Consulting ensures that everything produced in the project rests on the sector’s real needs, relevant data and international quality standards, laying a firm foundation for the further development of the project results.

Why does WEC matter?

The shortage of labour and the uneven representation of women in construction are not merely a statistic; they are lost potential for the industry and for society. In Croatia and across the region many women have the skills, the knowledge and the interest to work in this sector, but lack access to suitable educational opportunities and equal chances of employment and advancement.

WEC answers those challenges by creating a support system for women, strengthening professional competences and encouraging a change in how the construction sector is perceived as a traditionally “male” field. That opens new jobs, strengthens the labour market and contributes to a sustainable, equal and innovative construction industry. WEC is therefore not only an educational project; it is a step towards a fairer and more competitive society.