NAOMI AND CHARLOTTE WIN FORTERRA FEMALES COMPETITION

First year Lee Marley apprentices Naomi Hamilton and Charlotte Springer took first and second place respectively at the inaugural Bricklaying Forterra Females (BFF), a ground breaking competition that took place as part of a wider construction skills day at Havering College in Essex.

BFF, the UK’s first ever all-female bricklaying contest, kicked off National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week, and fell just four days before International Women’s Day on 8th March. As a national competition it aims to find the best female student bricklayers in the country, whilst encouraging more girls and women to consider careers in bricklaying or construction. Statistics show that women currently make up just 2% of hands-on construction workers in the UK, a figure which has barely changed for over 15 years.

Forterra Chief Executive Stephen Harrison said: “Construction has always traditionally been seen as male-dominated, but we hope and expect to see increasing numbers of women working across the sector. This initiative aims to inspire more females to explore the opportunities the industry has to offer.”