INSIGHTS
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge
5 Dec 2025
Why Construction Diversity Challenges are more than just team building
An in-depth look at how inclusion can transform culture
Read time: 10 min
The construction industry is no stranger to familiar headlines - skills shortages, high turnover, and workplace cultures that struggle to keep pace with modern expectations. For years, these issues have been treated separately, yet they all point to the same foundation: people.
Our new article series delves into the research and recommendations for ways companies, large and small, can make positive change. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with news and the latest article releases.
There has been steady progress. Targeted recruitment campaigns are attracting a broader talent base, and retention initiatives are beginning to gain traction, but results remain uneven. With stubbornly high early-exit rates, troubling reports of exclusion and discrimination, and crisis-level mental health challenges, research continues to show that culture - not just policy - is where real work needs to continue.
At The Big Construction Diversity Challenge, we're not here to add pressure to an already stretched industry. We want to make it easier for every business to take meaningful action. That's why we've carried out research to understand both what’s working and where gaps remain in the current inclusion strategy, and to offer leaders something simple yet transformative.
Our belief? The next phase of growth for this sector isn't about technology or efficiency - it's about people. By embedding diversity and inclusion into the business foundations, construction can strengthen workforce stability, unlock innovation, and create long-term resilience.
Be part of the industry’s most practical inclusion initiative
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge is designed for organisations that want to move beyond statements and take meaningful action. Whether you're just starting your EDI journey or looking to deepen it - this could be your next step.
🔗 Find out how to take part
Understanding the gap
If initiatives are on the rise, what’s still holding back inclusion efforts? It’s no secret that UK construction lacks diversity. As one of the most resistant industries to social change, inclusion still remains its most unfinished build; and as demand increases and this workforce becomes even more stretched, diversification has never been more urgent.
The question is: how can an industry built on collaboration now connect its people? Data reveals the remaining challenges. In a 2024 CIB survey, 86% of BAME construction workers reported experiencing racial discrimination, often disguised as part of industry culture. Meanwhile, 72% of women in the sector say they've faced gender bias at work. Figures like these reveal a harsh truth: for too many construction workplaces remain hostile - and those environments are driving people away.
In CITB's Early Leavers Survey (2017), 62% of employers agreed that early leavers were a problem for their business, and 38% said the issue had worsened in the last 2-3 years. CITB's continued retention reports suggest this is a chronic, cultural dilemma.
It isn’t a skills problem. It’s a cultural one.
The construction industry’s early exodus is not a reflection of a lack of talent. It’s a leak. Recruits arrive ready to contribute, only to encounter environments that make them feel excluded, undervalued, or unwelcome.
So far, EDI initiatives have been essential in initiating industry conversation. They've raised visibility, set new standards, and signalled to a new generation that the industry wants to change. Yet even the most well-designed programmes have struggled to stem early churn. This isn't about intent or effort - it's about depth. Until workplace behaviours and cultural norms evolve, inclusion initiatives may only scratch the surface.
The next step is clear: awareness must become experience. To see real transformations, inclusion should move beyond statements and strategies and into the everyday realities of site practices. That’s where the real build begins…
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge
What we do
The thing that sets The Big Construction Diversity Challenge apart isn’t what it celebrates - it’s how. If research makes one thing clear, it’s that diversity and inclusion cannot just be solved by discussion. It stems from transforming lived experiences, deepening shared understanding, and demonstrating visible commitment within the workplace itself.
From CEOs to apprentices, BCDC is where sector-wide teams come together to problem-solve, compete, team-build, and rely on one another’s strengths. It turns conversation into tangible action for businesses, reshaping how people work, think, and collaborate in diverse teams.
Key elements of the challenge
Playful, powerful team tasks: physical, mental, and practical challenges designed to showcase individual strengths and drive teamwork
Cross-industry networks: from postgraduates to CEOs, teams work side by side, breaking down barriers and building trust across roles and sectors
Lessons that translate: reflection and discussion turn shared experiences into actionable insights, proving the real benefits of diversity in team performance
Purpose meets practice: the event supports industry charity CRASH, adding social impact that reminds teams why inclusive collaboration matters beyond the workplace
A day at The Big Construction Diversity Challenge isn’t just another team exercise - it’s a turning point for how workplaces function. Participants step out of their usual roles, tackle immersive, hands-on activities, and discover strengths, ideas, and confidence they didn’t know they had. Every part of the day is designed to spark energy, collaboration, and lasting change.
Where many initiatives stop at awareness, BCDC is designed specifically to move beyond removed, theory-based approaches. It promises initiative that is felt on the ground, not just discussed in boardrooms.
BIG change starts from within.
Ready to see inclusion in action?
Why it works
A blueprint for success
While the true impact of EDI is difficult to measure, growing evidence shows that when inclusion is done well, it transforms not only how people feel at work, but how they perform. Cross-industry research has established an ironclad link between diversity and business performance.
Evidence from BetterUp:
A 2019 BetterUp study (cited by Deloitte, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review) identifies workplace ‘belonging’ as the reason. Its findings show:
56% increase in job performance
50% reduction in turnover risk
75% reduction in employee sick days
A single incidence of ‘micro-exclusion’ can lead to an immediate 25% decline in an individual’s performance on a team project
Experts are unanimous: workers who feel they belong are more motivated, perform better, and are more likely to stay, but construction has historically struggled to create this. Fragmented project teams, site-based isolation, and an industry still perceived as 'not for everyone’ continue to push people out and make them feel unwelcome.
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge is designed with these principles in mind: moving beyond traditional training to create a sense of belonging through shared experiences, and breaking down walls to give every voice a space to be heard. We are more than a diversity initiative - we are a tool for creating teams where everyone contributes, grows, and belongs.
Building Inclusion Brick by Brick
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge could be the missing piece in your current Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy. Most organisations already have diversity initiatives in place: policies, training programs, mentorship schemes, and recruitment targets. These are essential foundations.
What our challenge adds is the experiential element that's often missing - a chance for people to experience what inclusive teams look like, not just learn about it. When participants return to their organisations, they carry it with them: a working model of what effective, inclusive teamwork should both feel like and achieve.
To turn this experience into a lasting impact, companies can:
Embed lessons learned into onboarding and leadership training, ensuring new hires and leaders alike experience the value of collaboration, trust, and inclusion from day one
Continue the conversation through post-event workshops or mentorship schemes, turning insights into practical skills and sustained support
Encourage leaders to model inclusive behaviours inspired by the Diversity Challenge, showing teams that inclusion is not just encouraged, but expected and rewarded
From Challenge to change
Evidence consistently shows that belonging drives performance, and the challenge for many organisations isn't commitment; it’s creating the conditions where belonging actually happens.
BCDC offers something distinct from traditional EDI approaches: structured collaboration that lets teams experience inclusion rather than study it. When people work together across hierarchies and differences to solve real problems, the abstract concept of ‘diverse teams perform better’ becomes concrete - they’ve lived it.
That’s the power of The Big Construction Diversity Challenge. It gives your workers a common ground to connect on, a shared language for inclusion, and the confidence to carry those lessons back into their daily work.
When people feel seen, supported, and valued, they don’t just stay. They help your business and your industry thrive.
Think BIG. Sign up today
Stories of BIG change
The Big Construction Diversity Challenge participants leave with stronger bonds, increased confidence to speak up, and a heightened sense of belonging. Shared problem-solving fosters trust and collaboration over hierarchy, and the success stories speak for themselves.
“The Big Construction Diversity Challenge 2025 provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with new colleagues and strengthen existing relationships. Engaging in a variety of fun and collaborative activities allowed us to build rapport in ways that our usual work environment doesn’t always allow. It was a valuable day for team bonding, fostering a greater sense of unity and shared purpose.” BCDC 2025, Megan Wilkinson, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, BAM UK & Ireland
“I learned that it’s okay to be outside of your comfort zone and partake in challenges that I would never have considered before. The event allowed for communication from across the industry with teams/individuals that I would not have had the opportunity to communicate with.” BRDC 2025, Sonya Kora, HR Project Manager, CrossCountry Trains
“I have attempted things I would never have done (and I have got to the age of 60 avoiding these things), but working with a great bunch of people and laughing a lot encouraged me to do them. If more people did things like this, it would give them the confidence to go further in their careers.” BRDC 2024, Carolyn Davy, Coyles UK.
