Women encouraged to build a new future at Bellway’s Boorley Gardens

Bellway, one of the UK’s leading housebuilders, is offering on-site placements at its Boorley Gardens development in Hampshire, as part of a national initiative to bring more women into site management roles in construction.

This opportunity is part of the Women into Home Building programme, organised by the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

The initiative, launched in January 2023, addresses the low number of women in the construction workforce, currently just 16 per cent, with only 4 per cent of site managers being women. Bellway is one of 10 developers supporting this programme across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Women selected for the scheme will begin with a week-long online training session from Monday 4 November to Friday 8 November, covering site management skills.

This will be followed by a two-week placement, offering hands-on experience from Monday 11 to Friday 22 November. The HBF will assist participants with travel and childcare costs.

Shelly McLean, who completed the programme, is now working as a trainee assistant site manager at Bellway’s Primrose Grove development in Cambridgeshire.

She explained how the programme transformed her career: “Without this, I’d never have considered site management. It has been life-changing.”

Ellie Hall, Group Resourcing and Talent Manager for Bellway, emphasised the programme’s importance: “It allows us to tap into a new pool of talent. Shelly’s story is a perfect example—her two-week placement showed her a new career path.”

Jenny Herdman, the HBF’s Director of the Home Building Skills Partnership, said: “Our industry faces a significant skills shortage, and it is vital that we attract a broad range of entrants if we are to meet the growing need for housing.

“Our Women into Home Building programme has already made a significant impact, engaging over 200 women, successfully guiding 65 candidates through training and work experience and 20 into employment.

“The home building industry offers a variety of rewarding careers, yet women currently represent around 16 per cent of the construction workforce. We’re proud to partner with our members to drive change and support more women to pursue a career within our industry.”

Applications are now open and will close at 5pm on Sunday 22 September.