Construction Futures crowned winner of Excellence in Outreach award!

Last week, Construction Futures was delighted to take home the Excellence in Outreach Award at the Inspiring Women in Construction & Engineering Awards 2026 in London. 

This award recognises the team's significant impact in a remarkably short time, transforming the accessibility of construction careers for women, and driving strategic change across the industry in Northern Ireland.

The judges recognised that Construction Futures’ "infectious enthusiasm is already driving strategic change across the industry in Northern Ireland, bringing government and charities on board and engaging 47 delivery partners to increase outreach capacity for an entire sector." 

For a small but growing team, this award means a lot, and is one that is owed to our team members, the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) and the many employers and partners across Northern Ireland who continue to get behind Construction Futures and our mission to inspire, empower and connect young people with pathways that create long-term positive change.

Fionnuala McKenna, Head of Strategic Development at Construction Futures said: 

‘‘To be recognised for the work we are doing has been so worthwhile. We hope the award will help us get more support from our industry, from education, and to get the backing we need so that we can continue to do more good work.’’

We’d like to extend our warmest congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists and winners from the awards night, particularly the team from ICE Northern Ireland who picked up the Women’s Network of the Year Award for their initiative, ICE Connects. It was a fantastic celebration of the growing reach and real, material difference that teams across the the UK and beyond are making in opening up opportunities for women and girls across the construction industry.