Other News In Brief

NI Water Urges Women To Join Its Ranks

NI Water has marked International Women's Day with a plea for females to become a part of the team.

Approximately 21% of the utility's workforce is female, serving in a variety of roles including Scientific Services, Finance, Engineering, HR and Operations.

The business is calling on women across the country to join NI Water and help address the gender gap within the water and engineering industries.

Those interested in a career within Northern Ireland's water industry are advised to get in touch by contacting recruitment@niwater.com to see the roles available.

International Women's Day will take place this Sunday, 08 March, with the theme of #EachforEqual, where an equal world is an enabled world.

BCC Committee Rejects Proposals To Extend Sunday Trading Hours

The decision of Belfast City Council's City Growth Committee to reject proposals to extend Sunday trading hours is welcome news, according to Retail NI.

The committee instead moved to support a programme of cultural animation for Sunday mornings.

Retail NI and USDAW presented to the City Growth Committee last night setting out their proposals for boosting activity in the city centre on a Sunday.

More than 90% of shop workers in Belfast surveyed by the union in January rejected any proposal to extend trading hours.

Chief Executive of Retail NI Glyn Roberts commented: "The proposals to extend Sunday Trading display a poverty of ambition for the city and a lack of ambition. Retail NI has consistently argued that Sunday mornings should offer something different to city centre visitors.

"We want to see a fun, family-friendly strategy for Sunday mornings combined with a 'Small Shop Sunday' campaign which promotes the city's fantastic independent retailers and smaller traders.

"We are hopeful that a new Sunday morning promotional campaign will be designed and implemented well in time for the summer and the cruise ships arriving."

Inaugural Women In Construction NI Summit Takes Place

An inaugural summit has been held in Belfast celebrating women in construction across Northern Ireland.

Held at the Crowne Plaza hotel, the Women in Construction NI Summit focused on "inspiring change and shattering stereotypes" centred on two strands: 'Career Management and Progression', and 'Applying the Business Case for Diversity'.

CITB NI, the Industry Training Board for the construction industry, and CITB NI Women in Construction Network hosted the event, treating attendees to inspirational stories, business advice and thought-provoking tips on career management at the conference, which featured contributions from leading industry professionals.

GRAHAM colleagues Emer Murnaghan and Attracta Matthews jointly delivered a presentation on "growing an inclusive culture", explaining the importance of "Fairness, Inclusion and Respect" (FIR).

"At GRAHAM, FIR is a business priority that is not driven by just legislative requirements. It is also the pillar of our people strategy. There is strong evidence that FIR can be harnessed to enact positive business change. Of course, positive change takes time, but we are leading by example and playing a prominent role in promoting FIR and growing an inclusive culture, which was the basis of our presentation," explained Emer.

Reflecting on the inaugural Women in Construction NI Summit, Barry Neilson, Chief Executive CITB NI, said: "With an ageing workforce, a skills shortage and the increasing use of new technologies, there has never been a better time to encourage more diversity in construction. Increasing the talent pool and making it easier for women and other underrepresented populations to not just join the industry but to remain in the industry, is common sense for any employer. Given that it has been proven that more diversity in the workforce and particularly in leadership positions, can lead to higher profits and more innovation, it makes good business sense too."

The summit coincided with International Woman's Day, which takes place this Sunday, 08 March.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance.