All-female cohort of bricklayers building bright futures with York College and Barratt Redrow

Working together, we are guiding our first all-female cohort through their Level 2 Bricklaying Apprenticeship, meaning they are combining top-class College tuition with invaluable on-site experience, as they learn a trade that was traditionally predominantly the preserve of men.  

Times are changing, though.

Companies, led by the likes of Barratt Redrow, are recognising that the barriers towards equality on building sites need to be removed and, with the Labour Government’s commitment to kickstarting economic growth including planning reform that that will facilitate the building of 1.5 million new homes, there has never been a better time for apprentices of both genders to help address the UK’s current skills shortage in the construction industry.

Becky Barribal and Faith Banthorpe are two of the seven-strong, all-female cohort that started their Barratt Redrow apprenticeships with College last October.

At 38, Becky feels that she has discovered her true vocation and one that also helps manage her ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) condition.

The apprenticeship has even led to her participating in an episode of BBC One’s popular DIY SOS show.

Faith, 18, is delighted, meanwhile, to have found a company in Barratt Redrow and co-training provider in York College that are helping her pursue a career she has wanted to do since helping out at a family friend’s construction company from a very early age.

The 18-month apprenticeship sees the all-female cohort group, hailing from all parts of the UK including as far south as Portsmouth and as far north as Glasgow, attend College in five two-week block periods prior to a two-day End-Point Assessment (EPA).

In between, the apprentices are learning the trade on different Barratt Redrow worksites in the UK and both Becky and Faith agree that a strong bond has grown among the cohort, which has served as a positive support network.

“We’re a good group,” Becky explained. “We’re all like-minded and gel so well.

“We have our own WhatsApp group and all support each other, which is lovely. Meeting the girls has been a big highlight of the entire apprenticeship.

“The tutors know that they can leave us and we just get on with the job. There’s no messing about and we’re organised and tidy.

“I’m 38-years-old, so this is a lifestyle choice for me. I want to learn when I’m on site and at College.”

Faith admitted that she also felt at ease previously as the only female on her Level 1 Bricklaying course with another college, but has enjoyed the unique experience of an all-woman class. 

“I’ve always got along with the boys and am used to being surrounded by them, but it’s definitely good to be grouped with the girls,” Faith pointed out. “I’m finding there are a lot more different stories and perspectives on how people have got to this point and into construction.”

Becky’s journey is a case in point.

Having initially taken jobs in school and after-school club settings that worked around her responsibilities as a parent bringing up young children, she applied for the apprenticeship last year when she felt she could better balance her family and work commitments.

“Once my children got older, I thought it was the right time to challenge myself and do what I want,” she explained. “My family are very building orientated and I also like being outside and getting my hands dirty.

“I was so happy that I got through the first interview stages and never thought I’d get this opportunity, so it feels amazing.”

Just as amazing are the benefits Becky, who lives in Peterborough, is experiencing in terms of her physical and mental health too.

“The first day I set foot in the College workshop, I’d never touched a brick or trowel, so I’m very proud with how I have progressed in only four months,” she declared. “The apprenticeship has given me confidence.

“I’ve learned on the trowel and improved in terms of quickness. I’ve also not felt this physically fit since I was a teenager and my mental health has improved massively.

“With my ADHD, bricklaying is very therapeutic for me. It makes me feel calmer and organised. I feel energised and it’s great for my kids to see me so happy.”

Faith, meanwhile, opted to pursue a bricklaying career straight from school after sitting her GCSEs, completing the Level 1 vocational course before her successful apprenticeship application.

She is now enjoying gaining on-site experience at Barratt Redrow’s new-build location in Cringleford, close to her Norfolk home and, on her passion for the profession, she added: “At a very young age, my dad’s best friend started up his own business and I worked and did bits and bobs with him during the school holidays.

“He inspired me to try something different, instead of maybe going down the hair & beauty route and I love laying bricks every day now and getting used to what my career is going to be. That repetitiveness of doing it has given me a great insight into what the rest of my life is going to look like, which is good.”

Becky agrees with Faith that the apprenticeship model of learning represents an excellent form of vocational training.

“I love walking around site asking as many questions as I can and I think apprenticeships work really well because College teaches you how everything should be done the proper way and, then, you apply that to the workplace and might learn different techniques without cutting any corners,” Becky said. “It’s a bit like doing your driving lessons and, then, when you’re ready, getting your licence and developing your own driving style that still abides by all the rules.” 

The apprentices’ travel, accommodation and food expenses during their block tuition periods on Campus are all covered by Barratt Redrow with Becky adding: “It all feels too good to be true.”

She is also just as impressed by the standard of tuition in College and the facilities in our multi-million pound Construction & Skills Centre, where the Barratt Redrow Apprenticeship Academy is based.

“The little area we get to work in is brilliant, as are the teachers,” Becky added. “There are three of them and they’re all really friendly and combine their knowledge while reinforcing what each other says.

“We wouldn’t get through the apprenticeship without them - 100 per cent - and coming to York is as amazing as being on site.”

Faith also admitted that the equipment and workshop space at College has exceeded her expectations, along with the quality of teaching.

“I thought we would have to buy our own tools, so it’s quite good that they’re all supplied by College - I didn’t expect that,” she explained. “For my Level 1 course, there were also loads of us in one room and it felt like we were all on top of each other but, here, we are quite spread out, which is good.

“(Tutor) Jon (Mellor) has taught me a lot too and in a different way to how I’ve been taught in the past. He’ll set you tasks like giving you three ways to lay a brick and, then, you’ll have to decide which is the best way for you and he makes things fun.”

Looking ahead to the future, Faith would like to progress onto a Level 3 Apprenticeship and continue working with Barratt Redrow.

Becky, meanwhile, is already considering what other career pathways she could follow within the construction sector should she decide to hang up her trowel at some point in the future.

“Because I’m 38, it might not be too long before my knees give up,” she reasoned with a smile. “So, eventually, after a lot of on-site training, I’d like to work for the NHBC (National House Building Council), who carry out building inspections.

“I enjoy the snagging side of things and I’m constantly spotting things visually that might need correcting, which my Assistant Site Manager tells me is a great trait to have.”

Perhaps a fledgling TV career could take off, too, with the episode of DIY SOS that Becky featured in due to be screened this summer.

After responding to a Facebook advert, she was one of 150 people chosen from 900 applicants to work on a project in Leicester.

“It was so rewarding,” she enthused. “We helped to build a brick wall and I also helped the landscapers, block pavers and plasterers, so I learnt a lot as well.

“I worked nine days running from 7am to 8pm and didn’t get home until just before midnight, so it’s just how it looks on TV, but I loved it.”

Becky is confident that “the ratio of women working in bricklaying will change significantly in the next ten years” and, four months into her apprenticeship, feels that she is being treated with the same level of respect and afforded the same opportunities as her male colleagues on the worksite.

Her view that the number of women wanting to work in the bricklaying industry is rising is shared by York College tutor Jon Mellor, who has been teaching since 1999, having previously worked on site for close to two decades.

Shockingly, Jon didn’t teach his first female student until he was 15 years into his career as a tutor, but he declared: “The numbers of females we are teaching is definitely increasing and, as well as this cohort, we generally have three or four in each class now.

“Thirty years ago, the physical demands of the job were greater and maybe that put people off. Now, there’s so much machinery to help with the lifting of bricks and mixing, which makes the job accessible to more people - men and women.

“The days of people using hods to carry loads of bricks on their backs have been and gone.”

Jon added that the all-female cohort is one of the best groups of learners that he has encountered in more than 25 years as a tutor.

“I have never seen such a massive level of engagement with the course from any group of students I have worked with,” he enthused. “They really get stuck into the work, listen and are not scared to ask for advice or help and you can really see the progress that they’ve made.”

Phil Evans, manager of Barratt Redrow's Level 2 and 3 Apprenticeship Programmes, has also witnessed the "exemplary" progress made by the cohort, saying : "The group have progressed at a blistering pace. 

"We have monthly progress reviews with the college and all apprentices in the group are keeping up with expected progress and most are way ahead of where we expect them to be. Feedback from the apprentices, their line manager and college tutors has been excellent and this has turned out to be an exemplary cohort of apprentices."

On the impressive strides Barratt Redrow are making in the movement towards greater equality, Mr Evans added: "We put the group together because we recognised that the industry is predominantly male and wanted to provide an environment where females could meet one another and form a supportive community. 

"We want to encourage an inclusive environment, across all areas of Barratt Redrow and have a group-wide strategy in place to support this. SheBuilds, which is open to everyone, is our employee network providing peer-to-peer support, networking, and signposting, specifically for women working on site and on tools. 

"Historically, our diversity has been around 2% to 6%, which was in line with the rest of the construction industry but, with our 2024 intake, we achieved 36% which we are very proud of. Our 2025 recruitment is now underway and we have more female applicants to consider. We hope they meet the high standard set by the 2024 applicants so we can continue to drive our diversity onward."

To learn more about our Level 2 Bricklaying Apprenticeship, click here

For a list of our latest apprenticeship vacancies, visit here

You can gain more information on all of York College & University Centre's apprenticeship opportunities and Construction courses and meet our tutors at the next Open Event on Tuesday, April 1st. Register here