Seddon calls on women to build a career with them for international women's day

Seddon marked International Women’s Day by offering work placements to the region’s women to encourage them to build a career in the industry.

Seddon teamed up with the Working Wardrobe project – via housing association Bolton at Home – in a bid to increase the number of women entering construction.

The Working Wardrobe initiative helps people make the perfect first impression at job interviews by ensuring they have everything they need to look the part and land their dream job.

And, as part of International Women’s Day (8 March), Seddon trainee site manager Lisa Elliott championed women working in construction, as part of a free event held by Working Wardrobe.

Lisa shared how she initially joined Seddon as part of a work placement and later managed to work her way up through the company to become a trainee site manager.

The mum-of-three, from Bolton, said: “I joined Seddon as a Quality & Environmental Administrator almost five years ago and absolutely loved the role. I’d never considered a career in construction before and, being honest, had always viewed it as a ‘man’s job’; however, I quickly learned that this was not the case and became determined to work my way up.

“I’m now fully qualified as a site manager and am currently still gaining valuable experience onsite by assisting high-profile projects, delegating tasks across the team. It’s extremely rewarding to see a project through to completion – no two days are ever the same.”

“I’m extremely excited about meeting local women as part of International Women’s Day and helping to open their eyes as to what paths they can take – a placement is the perfect way to return to employment and I’m proud to be living proof of just that.”

Now, Seddon is asking women looking for employment to come forward and apply for a week-long placement later this month.

The scheme, which will offer three people the chance to work across head office and on-site, is open to all ages, with interviews taking place on the 19 March and successful candidates starting their placements with Seddon on the 25 March.

As part of the activity, Working Wardrobe is offering special training on interview technique and resilience to candidates who are shortlisted for the placements.

Kat Healey, head of learning and development at Seddon, said: “As a company we’re extremely passionate about breaking down barriers and flying the flag for women in construction – and International Women’s Day is the perfect time to highlight this.

“For these one-off placement opportunities, we’re not necessarily looking for previous experience or even much knowledge of the industry – what’s more important is the drive and passion to succeed. We want to meet people whose talents we can nurture and who will build a solid career future with us, just like Lisa has.”