Wellingborough building site manager encouraging women to join her in construction industry

Stephanie Gill works at a building site in Wellingborough
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Ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8), an assistant site manager who works in Wellingborough is encouraging more women to consider careers in the construction industry.

Stephanie Gill works for Barratt Homes South Midlands at their Wendel View housing development in just one of the roles many roles available across Northamptonshire.

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With a number of female employees already in a range of roles across the company, the housebuilder is reminding women from all skill sets of the different roles available and is encouraging them to put their experience to the industry.

Stephanie GillStephanie Gill
Stephanie Gill

Roles within the industry include electricians, plasterers, engineers, fork-lift drivers, scaffolders, bricklayers, architectural technician and surveyors.

Stephanie said: “It is so important to have gender equality on sites as each person brings a diverse range of different ideas, experiences and skills which will only enhance the project and therefore resolve one of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry which is the skill gap.

“Whilst travelling Australia, I had the opportunity to work as a traffic controller which was my first job in construction. This role provided opportunities to work in various projects within Toowoomba and the Gold Coast. I really enjoyed this type of work, from this experience I realised I wanted to pursue a career in construction which was a massive change from my previous career path which was social care.

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“I moved to the UK and then embarked in education to progress my career in construction and took many roles to get to the position I am in today."

Stephanie's role involves assisting the site manager overseeing the whole project, carrying out health and safety and quality checks to ensure that all homes are built to customers satisfaction.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, it is also a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Taking place for well over a century, the first gathering took place in 1911, International Women’s Day is well supported by over a million people all over the world.

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Barratt Developments PLC, parent company of Barratt Homes, states in its Gender Pay Report 2019 that it is committed to identifying and addressing the reasons that may create a gender imbalance in the workplace.

Stephanie added: “Barratt Homes provide an equal opportunity approach to recruitment. They highlight through their various social media how they want more women to take on roles siting that they have many different departments and roles that would suit different skill sets. Also, they provide opportunities to develop you within the role with training and education.

“In terms of the next generation, there are many opportunities out there. Don't be afraid to apply, the support you get is empowering. Being confident in your own skills will help you to overcome any challenges you may face.

“Remember, ‘The road to success is always under construction’ one of my favourite quotes.”

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Jason Hearn, sales director at Barratt Homes South Midlands, said: “We want to quash the age-old stereotype that the construction industry is a male dominated field as we have many women who work out on site as well as in office-based roles.

“With a range of departments within the company, we want to remind women that there are a variety of different roles that can be offered within the business that have great benefits and excellent opportunities for career progression.

“The construction industry is continuing to grow and this is an exciting time for people with an interest in housebuilding to join a market leading company.”