International Women's Day: Celebrating women in construction

In the run up to international women’s day, we hear from a Hartlepool resident working in construction who is urging other women to consider the sector.

30-year-old Academy General Operative, Amy Richards, joined the Gateway to Construction course in June 2022 after becoming unemployed due to Covid-19.

After a family member sent her the gateway course on social media, Amy knew this was her chance to do something new. Her initial ambition was to drive a dumper vehicle but, when enrolled, she was blown away with the opportunities available.

Amy said: “I started at Seymour’s as a learner, unemployed and unsure what next step I wanted to take. Due to lockdown, I lost my personal training business. I was feeling lost and not sure what to do next but it was my nana that sent me the Gateway to Construction Facebook advert and I instantly knew this was for me.”

Amy is an advocate Women in Construction, regularly attending science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) events and careers fairs to break down gender stereotypes within the construction industry. Gateway to Construction takes unemployed Tees Valley residents through a series of industry training elements, delivering over 3,000 accreditations and qualifications.

It aims to facilitate regional employment via employers and sub-contractors, with the curriculum a collaboration between construction and industry employers.

“I enjoyed the customer facing side of the role, always new faces coming and going. No two days are the same,” Amy commented.

“This course has made me look at a lot of things differently and I now have a sense of direction in my career. I feel so much more positive and secure about my future as I can now see the path I would like to progress down, I’d love to become an instructor and help more women into the construction industry.”

The new six-week fully funded training programme is offered at Seymour Skills Academy’s Brenda Road site, which recently received £1.4m of external funding through Hartlepool Town Deal. Their new skills institute is a partnership between Seymour Civil Engineering, Hartlepool College of Further Education and Hartlepool Borough Council.

Construction is due to begin in spring 2023 and includes new modular classrooms and training facilities such as a telehandler tower and temporary timber framed bungalow.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily