20-year-old Ella McLean is ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ by becoming Ring Stones first female roofer.
Beginning her new career path earlier this year, Ella joins a very small number of women working in the roofing industry. According to recent research conducted by ‘metals4u’, there are only 1,724 female roofers in the UK (that’s only 4.2%).
Despite the small number of women in roofing, Ella applied for the internal position at Ring Stones and was ‘made up’ when she got the job.
The 20-year-old said: “I was told about the roofing position and thought I’d give it a go. I really wanted a change and this role really stood out to me.
“I’d recommend applying to any woman wanting to join a trade. Some people might find it scary, but no one treats me any different at all. Everyone’s been really welcoming. They’re all so friendly, we all really get on”.
“I can 100% see a future in this”
For the next two years, Ella is working as a site operative while she learns all the tools of the trade. During her training, she’s working with experienced colleague Kev, who’s been a roofer for over 25 years. She said: “Kev is great, we get on like a house on fire”.
Although heights are one of the world’s most common fears, 5ft1 ‘and a half’ Ella is totally un-phased. She joked: “I’m good with heights. Because I’m quite a small person, climbing the stairs seems like a height to me, so what difference is getting on the roof!”
Ella joined Calico in 2022, previously working in our Clean and Clear Team. Although she enjoyed her role overhauling vacant homes, Ella sought a change of scenery – and what trade offers better views than roofing.
Talking about her new role, she explained: “It’s going well; I’m really enjoying it. I can 100% see a future in this. I haven’t been as a happy as I am whilst I’ve been on this team.
“Every day is different because we do responsive and planned works. We do everything from roof repairs to gutter works and down pipes – sometimes we can go to like 7 or 8 jobs during a day”.
Shortage of female roofers
Despite women in trade roles new heights of 15.8%, the roofing sector has the fifth-lowest representation of women in construction roles.
Lauren Macaree, Ring Stones Office Manager, concluded: “We’ve always been trying to make a step forward, but women never tend to apply. Hopefully seeing more women like Ella on site will get more people to take the leap.”
Ring Stones Maintenance and Construction is a values-led construction company based in the north west. Part of the Calico Group, we work with people, places and businesses to create a better future.
To learn more about the roles available at Ring Stones, please visit our latest vacancies