Meet Natalia who is working in a combined role as an Administrator and Logistics Manager for our Logistics company at Holloway Park, Pure Logistics. (Logistics is the detailed organisation of a complex operation like a construction site. It involves lots of co-ordination in order to move equipment and people around).

She explained what this role means in practice  ‘We are the eyes and ears of the site, we are involved in everything that is moving around on the site, in the inductions (where new people to site are trained)  managing the welfare team and the Traffic Marshalls.’  Natalia has been with us for about seven months so far and explained how she got into working in construction.’ I used to work for an airline, but during the pandemic a friend of mine who was a crane operator suggested I might like to think about construction. I started the studying online and got my CMSTS (site management training) certificate and CSCS card, together with completing my first aid and fire marshal training to begin with. I got my first position as a logistics supervisor with these qualifications.’ After a bit of time back in her home country of Colombia, Natalia has returned to us and is here at Holloway Park where she has now stepped up to her current role.

Tsion is an Islington resident who was interested in a change of career after having her children. She contacted Islington Council to see what opportunities might be available to her.

Amongst assorted options they suggested to help Tsion was a construction open day on 13^th September. She went along and there was the opportunity to meet various construction companies active in the borough. Tsion met Barry from Pure Logistics and Cathal from OHOB who both were extremely helpful at the open day. On the day she was offered a week’s work experience in steel fixing, but Tsion was not convinced this was the career direction she had in mind! She had previously been working in healthcare and she had worked looking after people, so she felt steel fixing was a bit of a step too far. Fortunately, Cathal listened to what she had in mind which was something potentially more office based. He contacted her the following day to suggest a week’s work experience at Holloway Park shadowing an Assistant Project Manager at the site. (The Assistant Project Managers work includes involvement in health and safety, permits, inductions, deliveries, and ordering materials.)

Tsion obviously impressed during her work experience here, and as the Assistant Project Manager was moving on to another role, she was offered the opportunity to join the Holloway Park team on a full-time basis. She says, ‘It has been really interesting, I have enjoyed it a lot, learnt loads and I like the team too’. Our new recruit is still working out her childcare arrangements because with two young children juggling of these responsibilities is required, but she has found she does qualify for more hours for her son at nursery because she is working.

Tsion went to the open day in mid-September and started a full-time role with us in October. She is now working 6 minutes walk from her home.

Our latest recruit Aisha has been telling us how she came to start work here as an apprentice electrician. She explained ‘I was living in Islington at the time, and my cousin saw the advert about women in construction and thought of me’. Aisha had begun some study towards being an electrician when she was a teenager but found it to be a bit of a boy’s club on the course, so she dropped out quite early. Over the next few years, she did various jobs such as care work, but the right career had eluded her until this advert.

So the best part of 20 years after her original application to be an electrician Aisha applied by email to check what the opportunities were for women in construction. Following her initial enquiry and completion of her CSCS card she was able to attend open days leading to an interview with Trident. Trident are an electrical subcontractor at Holloway Park responsible for all the temporary lighting. Aisha was successful in her application and has now started work on site in December, with college one day a week from January. She said ‘The prospects are good for the future; my pay will go up each year as I become more skilled over the four-year apprenticeship. Office work was not for me, I enjoy having a goal at work like putting lights up, and my mum is excited for me that I have gone back to follow my early dreams of a career as an Electrician’.

She has found it a bit strange being a student again after all these years, but although the class remains predominantly male, her fellow students are much more welcoming than the class she joined all those years ago.

We would like to introduce you to Joanne, who is working as a crane operator here with us at Holloway Park, and is also a local Islington resident.

Joanne was only the second woman in Europe to work in crane operation. Even today 10 years into her career as a skilled crane operator, she told us that most of the new female operators are eastern European, that there has traditionally been construction training available for women in these countries. We asked her what is it like being up high in a crane? Joanne said ‘It’s a  bit scary at first being up there, and the money is good, but the hours are long.  I would encourage women to come into construction, opportunities are there especially for women, that weren’t there before’. She advised it is important for women who are interested to be flexible and professional in their approach to the work as they need to prove themselves to their colleagues who may not have seen a woman crane operator before.

She explained how she first got started into crane operation. She had been working for many years in a stressful job as a Nursery Manager. During this time she was visiting her sick mother on the 17^th floor of the University College Hospital. Seeing the cranes from the window when she was up so high on her hospital visits it got her thinking, and she had reached the stage when she was ready to do something different in her working life. Joanne did some research on cranes and got an apprenticeship at 42 years old with Harrington Tower Cranes. Three months at a residential training centre later, Joanne had skills to equip her to start work with 10 different construction jobs available to her, including slinger, crane supervisor, driving dumper trucks. After three months work on site she was able to build up her hours and be signed off to work unsupervised . Since then after 6 years working as a qualified tower crane operator she did a degree in lifting operation which means Joanne can work as a ‘designated person’ who manages all lifting operation on a construction site, from crane location, council liaison to supervision of a lifting team. She is now back operating cranes though, because that is what she enjoys most. She said ‘it is beautiful at sunrise, it’s the closest I get to God up there, I enjoy the peace as the day gets started’.

Joanne was able to retrain for a career in construction through a government scheme. There are schemes and training available for those looking for a career in construction and Islington residents

Site Supervisor Apprentice – London Square

This is my dream job. I would say to any women interested in construction to pursue any goals or dreams you have, there is lots of support and opportunities for women now.’ – Sebrina

Our first construction apprentice Sebrina has been working at Holloway Park for over 18 months now. Sebrina is a qualified electrician who found her way to Holloway Park through ‘Women into Construction’.

Sebrina is a lifelong Islington resident who is thrilled to be working on this important local project – and what a bonus that in her new role she can walk to work too! As she has learnt more on site and taken on more responsibility she has studied at the same time and taken further qualifications. She is now studying for NVQ level 7 in Construction Senior Management.

Sebrina is eager to encourage more women into the construction industry.  Although she was the first there will be lots of NVQ opportunities for other construction apprentices at Holloway Park, and while we are keen to see more women on site, we will have plenty of opportunities for men too. If you’re interested in getting involved, send us a message through the ‘Contact us’ page on this website.