A group of our female BuildNE students have been laying the foundations on a career in the construction sector with a visit to The Rise development in Scotswood, Newcastle.
Ahead of Women in Construction Week, the 11 students went on site to find out about the variety of careers and local employment opportunities available in the construction industry. The women are taking part in a six-week WiC Employment programme with Gateshead College as part of our BuildNE project where they benefit from classroom training in addition to visiting live sites, like Keepmoat’s The Rise Scotswood.
Cheryl Spybey, 55, from Blyth was on the site visit she said: “It is fantastic to see a course like this being offered in the region. Its content is so diverse so has wide appeal regardless of previous work experience. It has certainly made me aware of the variety of roles available and all the teams involved before even the first brick is laid on a site.”
Steve Logan, BuildNE Project Director, said: “Our Women into Construction programme is all about helping women to develop their skills and inspire them to consider a career in construction, so it was great to give the learners their first experience of a working site. We’re excited to see them take their next steps towards employment in this industry.”
The course includes three weeks of construction-related and employability training, a two-week practical, hands-on work experience placement, site visits and one to one support sessions.
While on placement the students gain experience of vocational and on-site roles such as document control, project administration, Computer Aided Design (CAD)Technician, site engineer and trade-based trainee positions, including brick laying, joinery and roofing.
Currently, women make up around 13 percent of the construction workforce on developments and there are four female employees on site at The Rise.
Supporting the WiC Employment Programme is Newcastle City Council, North of Tyne Combined Authority, the European Social Fund and construction and engineering employers Keepmoat, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Sir Robert McApline, RED, Robertson and Your Homes Newcastle Repairs and Construction Services.
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