It’s International Women’s Day in March and to raise awareness of Flannery Plant Hire and Balfour Beatty’s commitment to closing the skills gap in construction, we are running a free ‘Women in Construction’ event at our purpose-built Operator Skills Hub near Birmingham on Saturday 12th March.
We’re passionate about recruiting hardworking and talented people into the construction industry and our unique, purpose-built Skills Hub provides innovative, future-focused training that gives plant operators the skills they need to deliver efficiently on modern-day, digitally enabled projects.
Inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of our commitment to recruitment and training, including for operator roles, and we’re keen to show as many people as possible that being a machinery operator isn’t just a man’s job - everyone is welcome at Flannery.
Listen to Samantha and find out how she came to be an operator, supported by Flannery.
The day will give a group of between 30 and 60 women of all ages the chance to experience hands on what it’s like to drive a piece of heavy plant, and how to operate it using the latest digital technology.
They will also be taken through basic site safety standards and how to use PPE to stay protected. There will be a brief introduction to our apprenticeship program and how Flannery can really help build confidence and skills with crucial training and support at every step of the way, and that candidates can ‘earn while they learn’ because they will be site-ready very early on.
A current female operative will also be available on the day to answer any questions attendees may have about life and work as a machine operator.
As Patrick Flannery points out, ‘The construction industry is changing rapidly and the more people we can train to benefit from the advances in digital machine control and site safety the better. Women have traditionally been in the minority where machine operators are concerned but our apprenticeship and training programs are open to everyone. We’re keen to show women how accessible a career in construction is to them.’
If you’d like to register to attend or find out more details about the Women in Construction event please email Selena.Tombs@balfourbeatty.com
The ‘Women in Construction’ event is run in partnership with Flannery Plant Hire, Balfour Beatty and the Operator Skills Hub.