The degree apprenticeships are furthering these women’s careers.
Three women are making use of their degree apprenticeships to further their careers in the construction industry.
They work for the British house-building company Vistry in a variety of roles.
Lauren Ranson worked in customer services for the 10 years before beginning a degree apprentice role as a trainee assistant site manager.
Her duties now include providing onsite assistance to complete construction projects and monitoring labour, building material, and equipment budgets.
Lauren Sharp was already employed by Vistry, where she’d worked for six years as a commercial assistant when she applied for the trainee quantity surveyor apprenticeship to develop her career.
Her responsibilities now include assisting in the production of commercial reports and attending monthly project team meetings on active sites.
Chantelle Jacobs came from a job as a resident liaison officer, working on housing improvements for councils and housing associations before working as a trainee technical co-ordinator.
Trainee technical co-ordinator responsibilities include liaising with clients to understand their needs and report on progress and assisting technical managers to create and share work plans and timelines.
They all found the opportunity of getting on-site experience while studying for their degree incredibly valuable.
Lauren Ranson spoke about her time as a degree apprentice.
She said: “My role is exciting because it is varied and challenging which allows me to develop my professional and personal development skills, which is helping me to succeed in my apprenticeship.”
Chantelle, who returned to education after 15 years, spoke about the degree apprenticeship.
She said: “It can be hard for a woman in construction, as it is a predominantly male-run sector and is seen as being part of a man’s world. This can often make it a struggle for a woman to progress in this industry. Vistry has strong values in their workplace, showing equality and fair treatment.”
Lauren Sharp added: “The managers training me have given me trust and responsibilities. I have been told that there is a clear route of progression for me after my apprenticeship. This motivates me to move up the work ladder.”
For more information on Vistry and its apprenticeship programme, visit the Vistry careers page.
Image source: Vistry’s Eastern
