This International Women’s Day, we were thrilled to see our Woodworking and Gender project take center stage. The project was highlighted by our major funder, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as a leading example of how to reshape the heritage skills sector.
The Fund celebrated the women and marginalised communities who are reshaping spaces in the heritage skills sector – like those involved in the Woodworking and Gender project.
The project empowers women, trans and non-binary people through training courses and workshops, building their confidence with tools and challenging gender stereotypes in craft and technical spaces.
In the video below, project participants share their experiences and what it means to be part of a space where creativity, skill and support come together.
The impact of the project is also being recognised in the industry. Furniture makers Opus Magnum recently featured the project in their International Women’s Day communications, highlighting how outreach into the sector is creating a tangible, positive impact.
Our Project Lead, Cat, recently met with the Opus Magnum team to discuss the evolving recruitment landscape. Their conversation focused on:
- Attraction & Retention: Effective strategies for bringing skilled makers into the fold.
- Cultural Shift: How increased gender diversity is actively improving workshop culture and boosting productivity.
- Equality in Action: Why educational programs like ours are essential for a stronger, more equitable industry.
It is incredibly rewarding to see the real-world results of this work. Over the past year, Opus Magnum has welcomed six new women to their team, bringing their manufacturing workforce to 25% female.
We are especially thrilled to see Woodworking and Gender project graduates from our Wood School among this cohort. Seeing them succeed in these roles is exactly what this project is all about.
