The construction industry has traditionally been almost entirely male dominated, but things are beginning to change. There’s now a record number of female tradespeople working across the UK, as the number of women taking on construction roles continues to rise.
Today, nearly 20% of the Ring Stones workforce are female – including Courtney Thorne, our first female plasterer who is currently gaining qualifications through her apprenticeship.
How Courtney began to build her trade career
After leaving college, Courtney started her professional journey in the care sector, before deciding to try something new.
As a naturally “hands on” person, Courtney searched for roles in construction and soon applied for her apprenticeship at Ring Stones. She said: “It was a little scary gaining the confidence to apply, but once I did it, I knew it was a great career path to follow”.
Working primarily on repairs, Courtney spends most of her days in customers’ homes plastering, pointing and damp proofing. In future, she wants to continue expanding her skill set. Right now, she’s adding rendering to her developing list of services.
The 24-year-old continued: “Construction gives me the freedom to work in my own space. The more confident I become in my role, the less my anxiety plays a part in my working life”.
One of the strongest myths surrounding females in construction is the assumption that women don’t have the strength to keep up with the physical demand of the role. Courtney is a great example of why this assumption is merely a myth.
She added: “When I first started, a plaster bag would nearly tip me over when I tried to pick one up; now it’s so easy. It just takes practice. You learn to deal with everything thrown your way”.
“I’d recommend this career path to anyone who wants to go for it – it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s totally worth it.” She added.
Lauren Macaree, Ring Stones Office Manager, said: “We’ve always been trying to make a step forward but women never tend to apply for trade roles. Hopefully seeing Courtney will encourage more women to take the leap.”
What diversity brings to the Ring Stones workforce
Recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the workforce increased to being 15.8 per cent female in April to June 2023, up 1.2 per cent on the previous quarter. Before the pandemic, this figure stood at just 12.6 per cent.
As numbers increase, so does the diversity in Ring Stones; from office-based roles to senior management positions, our workforce is now nearly one-fifth female.
Talking about the benefits of diversity in the workplace, Mollie Howarth, Compliance & Systems Administrator, said: “Having mixed genders gives different opinions on things and helps us have different takes on situations and helps us to achieve more”.
Aftercare Co-ordinator, Lisa Witt, whose role sees her spending her day speaking to customers over the phone, also believes a female presence is essential to construction industry.
She said: “Having a mix of men and women helps us resonate with the customers more. A woman’s perspective is different to men’s, having both helps us serve everyone”.
Lisa also discussed how working in construction has helped her learn new things. She added: “I enjoy working with a diverse range of people, I get to learn about new things in the construction industry that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to learn about”.
The perception of construction being a male environment can be off-putting for some, with many feeling like they might not ‘fit in’ to a male dominated world. However, Business Co-ordinator Diane Holt, disagrees. She said: “Everyone is respectful and conscious of who’s around. We’re all the same, it’s just a case of remembering that”.
Mollie concluded: “We all have a laugh and a joke. They have so much respect for us. Everyone respects each other’s roles”.
To learn more about the roles available at Ring Stones, please visit our latest vacancies.