Publication Date: 04-03-2024 09:00
Caitlin swaps office for building site in career change
Caitlin Blair is cementing a career in construction after swapping the office for the building site.
Caitlin has gone from being a construction administrator to trainee assistant site manager with Bellway West Midlands, at the housebuilder’s Harvino development in Hunnington, Worcestershire.
The 22-year-old, from Nuneaton, said: “I joined Bellway in 2021 and was providing administrative support for the construction team but was fascinated by the whole process of how a house was built and wanted to be out on the site learning all about the build programme.
“After a couple of years of feeling that I was in the wrong role, I decided to do something about it in my performance review with the construction director. I plucked up the courage to tell him about my interest in construction and my desire to work in that team and he said he would look into it for me.
“Before I knew it, I had transferred to another side of the business and was enrolled as a trainee assistant site manager. I am working as part of the site team at the Harvino development in Hunnington and am loving it.”
Caitlin is telling her story to celebrate Women in Construction Week (Sunday 3 to Saturday 9 March) which is a national campaign to encourage more women to make a career in the building industry.
Bellway has set itself a target to improve the gender diversity of its directly employed workforce to a 60/40 male/female split by July 2025. Last year this split was 69/31. Bellway is also part of the Home Builders Federation’s Women into Housebuilding Programme, which was launched in January 2023 to attract more women into trainee assistant site manager roles.
Caitlin said she is enjoying learning about construction from an experienced site team where quality and attention-to-detail are at the forefront of their work.
“Bellway has been rated as a five-star builder by the Home Builders Federation, which means that nine out of ten of our customers would recommend our company to family or friends,” she said. “Paul Heath is the site manager at Harvino and it is great to be able to learn under him and the assistant site manager Jack Cunningham. We make a good team where attention to detail is key.
“Paul always makes time for me if I want to chat about a certain aspect of the job and Jack provides real encouragement and shows me how I can make the next step to where he is. What I like about the job is that every day is a school day, as I am learning new skills, but not in a classroom. This is on-the-job learning, in a real-life situation rather than it coming from a book.
“Bellway have been brilliant to work for right from the outset. They have allowed me to change disciplines and have supported me as I made the transition. I am the only female in the construction team here and am proud to be so.
“If any young women are put off thinking about a career in the building industry I would tell them to think again. More and more women are taking on leading roles in construction and I am excited to be part of that future.”
Marie Richards, Sales Director at Bellway West Midlands, said: “Caitlin is showing real promise within the construction team and is incredibly keen to learn.
“The job change that Caitlin made shows just how you can alter the path of your career and fill a role that you are passionate about. We are proud of our involvement in the Women into Housebuilding programme and look forward to helping more women into trainee assistant site manager roles like Caitlin as a result.”
Bellway is building new homes at Harvino on the site of the former Blue Bird Toffee factory in Hunnington.
For more information about careers at Bellway visit https://www.bellwaycareers.co.uk.
