A study carried out by NHBC Foundation has revealed that 12% of the workforce behind the UK’s house production is female. The majority of this percentage are in administration or secretarial roles within the industry, with less than 4% having skilled trade roles in the industry. With a demand for more skilled workers within the building industries going up, it can be suggested that more needs to be done to attract women to these roles regardless or the male dominated perception of the sector. With International Women’s Day on March 8th fast approaching, the award-winning home builder Countryside is taking the time to recognise its female employees and other women who are developing their careers within the house construction sector. By focusing on recruiting women the industry could change for the better, leading to a higher percentage of women in skilled trade roles as opposed to more office based positions.
These figures focused on by the house building company include Samantha Simmonds, a 26-year-old Assistant Quantity Surveyor who has worked at Countryside for over three years after leaving a Sports based degree at Oxford Brookes University when she was 18. Simmonds followed her sister into the sector, who works within civil engineering and helped her get a job as an administrative Assistant. She then worked her way up and was awarded a place on the graduate scheme. Countryside’s Development Manager is Emma Hewitt, who is based at the King’s Park Development in Harold Wood. Hewitt Joined Countryside after graduating with a degree in Architectural Technology and a Masters in Urban Design. Emma states she has noticed an increase in female coworkers during her three years working at Countryside but believes more could be done to promote positions within the trade industries to younger girls looking at apprenticeships as well as female Graduates.
With a variety of different roles within the House Construction Industry there are a variety of roles available for promotion for International Women’s day.
