How go-getter Sophie from Stafford is buying her own home at the age of 20

The go-getter, who lives in Stafford, is loving life after choosing to start an apprenticeship with Bellway rather than go to university.

Sophie, who is assistant site manager at Bellway West Midlands’ Victoria Gate development in Stafford, said: “While I was doing my A levels at school I chose to do two weeks’ work experience at the development where my dad was the site manager. I absolutely loved it and wanted to do what he did. While all my friends were busy applying for university places I was searching for an apprenticeship in the construction industry.

“There weren’t any about at the time so I got a job in the local shop to keep me busy until I found a place. Then I saw that Bellway were offering a two-year apprenticeship and luckily they accepted me. I was delighted.”

Sophie is telling her story to celebrate Women in Construction Week, which runs to Saturday. The national campaign encourages more women to make a career in the building industry. Bellway has set itself a target to improve the gender diversity of its directly employed workforce to a 60/40 male/female split by July 2025. Last year this split was 69/31.

In January 2023, in collaboration with the Home Builders Federation, the not-for-profit organisation Women into Construction and eight other housebuilders, the Women into Housebuilding Programme was launched to attract more female recruits into trainee assistant site manager roles.