CIOB commits to becoming dyslexia friendly 

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has been working on becoming a dyslexia-friendly organisation, with guidance from the Dyslexia Institute UK.

As part of the initiative, dyslexic individuals from a variety of construction roles have been interviewed about their experience in the industry. 

There are approximately 2.7 million people working in the UK’s construction industry, and it is believed that more than the UK average, of 20%, are dyslexic.

According to Roger Broadbent, director at Dyslexia Institute UK, this is mainly due to construction being a profession that can be entered without academic qualifications.

“Many individuals who are dyslexic, dyscalculic, dyspraxic, or dysgraphic, are drawn to jobs that have ease of entry,” he said. “Many of those interviewed expressed feelings of frustration and low self-esteem when they recalled their school days.”

Many of the interviewees from the construction industry also reported that they left school with no qualifications, but their idea of self-worth had been negatively impacted. 

A common theme throughout the research was that individuals’ careers and self-esteem blossomed when they began their career in construction.  

However, some explained that aspects of their dyslexia can make work-related tasks – including organisation, completing forms, or reading lots of text under time pressure – particularly difficult. 

To help support more dyslexic construction workers, CIOB is now modifying its processes around qualifications. 

CIOB has also recorded a webinar with Broadbent about dyslexia, including the positives about being a dyslexic professional in the industry.   

For more information about becoming a dyslexia-friendly employer, contact DyslexiaInstituteUK@gmail.com.