Housebuilder paves for the way for construction site equity

The 49-year-old has always had an interest in the construction industry, but back when she was leaving school found there was little information or opportunities for women to pursue and instead enrolled in a pre-nursing course and worked in nursing homes for years.

After a few career switches – Bev also started teacher training at college – a friend in the refurbishment trade recommended Bev for a job.

Bev, from Rotherham said, “Getting a customer liaison role in 2004 was the gateway into the construction industry I always wanted. From there I progressed to customer liaison manager and then became site manager on a refurbishment project in 2019. I loved being out on sites, learning about the processes and developed a lot of skills useful in my role today.

“Best of all was the chance to become an ambassador for Women into Construction which enabled me to present career assemblies to girls at schools and colleges. It was brilliant to see the amount of interest shown and know they had so much more knowledge of the different roles available and support in applying for them than used to be.”

The idea of working with new homes always appealed to Bev and she joined Harron as customer relations manager in 2021.

She said: “Not long after I started at Harron, they were looking for assistant site managers. I mentioned my interest to one of the directors and they were nothing but supportive, getting me started on my training in June 2022.

“For a while I was rotating sites while I was getting my qualifications, but now I’ve officially joined The Brambles and been welcomed with open arms by the site manager and assistant site manager. With their guidance and support, I have no doubt I’ll be a fully fledged assistant site manager this year.

“There’s been definite progress in the industry generally, especially compared with years ago when you’d never see women in any trades. Now I think it’s more accepted women can bring just as much to the table as any man, and I’ve definitely felt that at Harron.

“I’ve been given a fantastic opportunity to pivot my career in the direction I wanted years ago, and I couldn’t ask for a better team by my side to accomplish it.

“I’d urge any woman interested in the industry to pursue the opportunity – they are out there now!”

Lee Kilby, construction director, said, “We’re incredibly proud of Bev’s progress on site and are sure she’ll make a spectacular site manager soon! We appreciate the importance of advocating for women in construction and are delighted to support Bev and other women in their ambition.”