As we look forward to ‘Women In Construction Week’ in March, we talk to Adderstone Living’s buyer Caitlin Stockdale about her experience of working in the industry, what she enjoys about her job, and what the sector offers women.
Tell us about your job?
I work as a buyer for Adderstone Living. It’s a really challenging yet enjoyable job, involving sourcing and procuring a diverse range of building products and materials used in the construction of our houses: from bricks, blocks and cement to kitchens, doors and many things in between. I review live construction drawings to pull together tenders and also assisting the management team with bids and the specification of materials.
How long have you worked in construction?
I’ve been working in the affordable and social housing sector since I started my career as a 16-year-old admin apprentice with Gentoo back in 2014. Since then, I have worked within the social housing sector for most of my career, joining Adderstone Living last year was an excellent appointment for myself, we are going from strength to strength as a company. Adderstone Living really support their staff with regards to continuous improvement, I am currently studying to become qualified as Chartered Institute of Purchase & Supply (CIPS) to further support my professional development.
As a woman, how do you find working in the construction industry?
Traditionally, construction has been a male dominated industry and I do think women have had to work a little bit harder to prove themselves previously. However, this is changing and it’s easier and much more welcoming now for women to come through to take on many roles within the construction industry. Like many other industries, once you have proved yourself capable, people will respect you regardless of gender.
Why do you find the house building industry interesting?
It’s fast paced and dynamic, there are constantly new projects and products on the market which allows me to continually improve my skills and knowledge. With the current housing shortage, the industry is only going to grow and knowing that you play a part in the end result is a great sense of achievement.
There is a great team ethos at Adderstone Living – I really enjoy working with my colleagues, the team are very knowledgeable, positive, and encouraging.
Would you recommend working in the construction sector to other women?
Definitely! It offers a great career with more and more opportunities opening up for hard-working, talented and ambitious women. The learning and development aspect is also important with defined training pathways available while Adderstone Living, among other sector employers, do their best to help women in roles like mine to progress their careers and secure promotion based on merit.