A programme aimed at encouraging more women to embrace construction as a career has been welcomed by insulation specialist Actis.

The Women into Home Building programme, run by the Home Builders Federation, is taking applications for its fifth cohort of women interested in working in site management.

The programme, launched last year, has already engaged 238 women, guided 65 candidates through training and work experience and supported 20 women into employment within the industry.

Actis is a big supporter of encouraging young people and women into the industry and is engaged in outreach activities in school and college across the UK.

Some of its highest profile team members are female. Northern regional sales director Jemma Harris is a Women in Construction ambassador, northern regional specification manager Amaret Chahal has co-written some of Actis’ CPD training material and technical manager Harsha Mistry has worked closely on-site with builders and craftsman in a variety of hospitality, residential and commercial projects in her role as architectural designer.

Jemma has been involved in a CITB careers event and addressed students at a school in Yorkshire, with the aim of inspiring young women to follow a career in a male-dominated profession and Amaret recently spoke to students at Barnsley College about the joy of construction.

The HBF programme offers 30 plus training support and work placements via some of the country’s biggest developers.

It aims to go some way towards redressing the current male/female imbalance in the industry, with the HBF saying that currently women represent only 16% of the construction workforce, with just 4% being site managers within housebuilding.

Applications close at 5pm on Friday September 22. Women interested in the programme can apply on the HBF website.