Women in Construction: Meet Lana Edwards

For International Women’s Day, Certora Training sat down with Lana Edwards, a highly skilled mobile plant operator, recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in Construction in 2023, and a powerful advocate for competence, resilience, and raising standards across the construction industry.

With over 5,000 followers on LinkedIn and a growing social media presence, Lana is using her platform to showcase what she can achieve in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Through her video content and her featured series “Life with Lana” in Plant Planet magazine, she highlights heavy equipment operations, industry events, and the realities of being a woman in construction today.

This is her story in her own words.

A Career Built from Home

Lana’s journey into construction plant operation started on her family-owned farm.

“My family owned a farm so I was introduced to heavy plant machinery from an early age.”

By the age of eight, she already knew what she wanted.

“I used to watch my brother drive all these big machines and I knew I wanted to be just like him. So, I found some wooden blocks, put them on an old grey Fergie and off I went.”

With access to a bulldozer and digger at home, she quickly gained hands-on experience operating heavy machinery.

“If I wasn’t driving, then I was fixing the machines. I fell in love with the machinery.”

Career Progression: Taking Opportunities and Backing Yourself

A pivotal chapter came in 2015 for Lana when she joined a plant hire company during a difficult period in her life.

“He [The owner] said he was going to take a chance on me and see how it goes.”

Lana stayed with the company for 5-6 years, allowing her to build her reputation nationwide as a respected and highly skilled operator.

“I never knew what I was going to do and what I was going to drive so every day was different.”

Lana admitted that she stepped out of her comfort zone during her employment.

“There were a lot of jobs that I hadn’t done before so I used to worry about it - ‘what if I can’t do it?’”

But quitting was never an option for Lana.

“I’m one of these who won’t be beaten. I’ll always strive to be the best I can at what I do.”

Self-Assessment and Continuous Improvement

To build her reputation, Lana’s approach to professional development is simple: analyse, improve, repeat.

She began recording videos of herself operating machinery, initially as a learning tool.

“You do a job automatically without realising what you’re doing. I am my worst critic so I would analyse the videos. I would work to fix what needed fixing.”

Lana made the decision to start posting these videos on LinkedIn which now reach thousands across LinkedIn and other platforms. Her growing online presence shows that there is a strong interest for authentic, skills-based representation within the Construction industry.

Her work has also been recognised by Plant Planet magazine, where she features in the series ‘Life with Lana’.

Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Construction Industry

During her first employment, Lana recalls the reaction from men the moment she arrived on site.

“As soon as I used to drive onto site, all the men would stop and look. Their eyes would follow you around.”

But Lana proved that skill changes perception.

“Once I showed them what I can do, they quickly opened their arms to me.”

Her experience highlights a key issue within the construction industry: visibility comes before acceptance, but competence secures it.

There have also been moments where she has had to stand her ground. On her first site job, a derogatory comment made from a male member of staff left her upset. Initially, Lana didn’t want to escalate it.

“I don’t want to make waves. It’s hard enough as it is [as a woman].”

But she was encouraged to think about the bigger picture.

“If you decide to let this go, then that allows him to go onto site after site and do the same thing. By not saying something about it, it makes it [his behaviour] okay.”

Lana made the decision to speak up. The outcome: the individual was removed from site and required to complete diversity training.

“It proved that speaking up is important.”

Accredited Training and Competency in Construction

When it came time to complete formal training, Lana found a local accredited training provider.

“Completing the training was the easy bit in my career.”

Her comment reflects something important: accredited training and NVQ qualifications provide the foundation, but confidence, resilience and consistency builds long-term success.

At Certora Training, we see first-hand how accredited construction training supports:

• Operator competence
• Site safety compliance
• Career progression
• Professional credibility

Training is not just a tick-box. It is the baseline for high standards across the industry.

Barriers Women Still Face in Construction

While access to training has improved in recent years, Lana believes challenges remain — particularly around hiring for appearance’s sake and welfare.

“Some companies are filling quota — ‘let’s get a woman on the team’ — but they don’t actually care.”

Welfare is another issue. On a major infrastructure project that Lana was working on, welfare facilities were located over an hour away from where she was operating.

“Flag an ADT [Articulated Dump Truck] to get a lift. In my opinion, that’s putting my welfare and safety at risk.”

Ultimately, she left the role due to welfare concerns and faced unfair assumptions as a result.

This highlights a critical industry issue: attracting women into construction is one thing. Retaining skilled operators is another.

Advice for Women Entering Construction and Plant Operations

Lana’s advice to women considering getting a career in the construction industry is simple:

“Never say never. There’s no such thing as can’t.”

But she is realistic.

“You need a thick skin for this industry.”

Her guiding motto is simple:

“Why not?”

“If you can do it, then why not? Why can’t I do it?”

For women considering heavy equipment operation or site-based roles in the construction sector, Lana’s message is clear – always back yourself.

What Needs to Change in the Next Five Years?

One misconception that Lana challenges is that women aren’t capable.

“They can do anything when given the chance.”

Looking ahead, she believes the construction industry must prioritise:

• Improved welfare standards on site
• Genuine mentorship and nurture
• Greater flexibility

“It’s all well and easy to get women into construction. But to keep them, that’s the hard part.”

Raising Standards Through Skills and Representation

As one of the Top 100 Women in Construction, a respected plant operator, and a recognised voice across LinkedIn and industry media, Lana Edwards is an authentic figure in the construction sector who has shown resilience in the face of adversity.

Her story reinforces an important message for International Women’s Day 2026:

• Representation matters
• Training matters
• Standards matter

As Lana would say:

“Why not?”