GRAHAM has renewed its partnership with SistersIN for a second consecutive year, deepening its commitment to creating leadership pathways for young women in Northern Ireland and raising the profile of careers in construction and the built environment.
Launched in 2022, SistersIN is a leadership development programme designed to enable, empower and develop female pupils in education to become the leaders of tomorrow. This September, the programme will expand into 70 schools across Northern Ireland, reaching over 800 girls and continuing its mission to help young women discover their full potential, build leadership capability and confidence, and open new possibilities for their professional journeys.
Through the Growth partnership, GRAHAM provides SistersIN mentees with industry insights, role models and direct exposure to the range of careers available within the construction and built environment sectors.
Research from CIOB shows that women make up only 15% of the UK construction workforce, with just 2% of on-site roles held by women, underlining both the scale of the challenge and the importance of programmes like SistersIN in building a pipeline of future talent.
Since beginning its support of the programme in 2025, GRAHAM has played a key role in providing a range of impactful development opportunities for participants. These have included a job shadowing day with the GRAHAM team, alongside mentor-led insights across a variety of disciplines, including finance, legal, pre-construction and engineering.
The programme culminated in a celebration event at the ICC Belfast, marking the achievements of participants throughout the programme.
Looking ahead, mentors will continue to support their mentees through virtual meetings focused on individual leadership projects, before participants take part in a further job shadowing day in spring 2027.
Susannah Morwood, Group Head of Marketing and Communications at GRAHAM, said:
This renewed partnership reflects our shared commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young women. It also provides a powerful platform to showcase the breadth of careers in the construction and built environment sector, helping girls see the range of roles available and understand that it is an industry where they can build successful, rewarding careers.
Through SistersIN, we are helping to open doors, build confidence and connect students with real-world insight and role models across industry.
Ella Rourke, Partnerships Manager at SistersIN, said:
We are grateful to have GRAHAM continuing as a Growth Partner for a second year. Their support provides valuable opportunities, industry insight and role models for SistersIN mentees, helping to build confidence, broaden aspirations and inspire future career pathways. As a leading organisation within construction and the built environment, GRAHAM is encouraging more young women to explore careers in an industry where female representation has traditionally been lower. We look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.
The partnership will continue to focus on mentoring relationships, leadership development and real-world exposure, connecting education with industry insight across key sectors.