CFW Support Futures@HOUSING 2025: Elevating Women in the Housing Sector

The horizon of the UK housing sector is evolving — and Construction For Women is ensuring women are part of every step forward. At HOUSING 2025, we partnered to host Futures@HOUSING, a dedicated professional development day for 45 women — students and non-executive professionals — at the Manchester conference.

About HOUSING 2025 & Regeneration Brainery

HOUSING 2025 is a leading conference bringing together housing professionals, developers, policymakers, and innovators to explore the current challenges and emerging solutions within the sector. The themes often cover affordable housing, sustainability, regeneration, delivery pipelines, and leadership.

A key collaborator for our CPD and mentoring activities was Regeneration Brainery, a UK-based social mobility charity and academy that works with over 4,000 young people annually. Their mission includes inspiring underrepresented talent into property, regeneration, and the built environment by offering hands-on workshops, industry mentoring, real project insights, and work experience.

Futures@HOUSING: What Curious Minds Experienced

By attending Futures@HOUSING, our group gained full delegate access to price-tagged content worth £645 (+VAT) per person — at no cost to them. This included entrance to keynote panels, exhibition halls, and specialist sessions across the HOUSING 2025 conference.

In addition:

• Attendees completed over five hours of CPD-accredited training, led in part by Regeneration Brainery, which included reverse mentoring sessions (where industry leaders also learn from the perspectives of emerging professionals).

• They had direct opportunity to meet employers and influencers in housing and related sectors, expanding networks that often remain out of reach.

• All participants were inducted into the Construction For Women network, giving them privileged access to future work experience, placement opportunities, and mentorship.

Impact & Social Value

The day wasn’t just inspiring — it was also impactful. Measured through Loop’s National Social Value Standard Framework, Futures@HOUSING generated over £67,000 in social value, taking into account the value of training, networking, and future employment/mentoring opportunities unlocked.

This shows what can happen when strategic partnerships deliver more than knowledge: confidence, connections, visibility, and ongoing support for early-career women.

Voices & Ambition

Many attendees said that being in a space with peers and industry leaders gave them clarity about their direction, previously clouded by uncertainty about how to enter housing and development roles. For some, it was the first time they felt legitimately part of professional networks.

“One participant reflected that the reverse mentorship sessions were “eye-opening,” helping her understand not just where she wants to go in her career, but how to get there — the kinds of questions to ask, people to connect with, and skills to develop.

Looking Forward

Futures@HOUSING 2025 is only the beginning. Through this initiative:

• Construction For Women will continue offering mentorship over the next year to all attendees.

• We will promote further opportunities for placements and work experiences in the housing sector.

• We will use what we learned from this event to scale similar development days, especially to reach women who might otherwise miss out on exposure.

We believe that when women are included in conversations about housing — at the design table, in policy discussions, in site work — the industry grows stronger, more equitable, and more resilient.