Eastbourne site manager explains what it’s like to be a woman in the construction industry

Barratt Homes recently appointed Blair Harvey at its Meadowburne Place development on St Martins Road. The 32-year-old has been with Barratt Southern Counties for seven years, having joined the business in 2015 as part of a graduate scheme after completing her degree in Building Surveying at the University of Greenwich. She said: “I was Googling trainee surveyor roles when I stumbled across Barratt’s graduate programme and signed up on a whim. I already had a good understanding of the industry thanks to my studies, but the graduate programme allowed me to get stuck into a live construction environment, with a very clear career goal at the end.”

After completing a year in accelerated construction as part of the scheme, Blair was fast tracked to a junior site manager role. She said: “I have had such great mentors at Barratt, everyone has spurred me on at every turn. I worked with the team at Wychwood Park for two years before going on maternity leave, and then when I returned I was quickly promoted to site manager and moved to a new development in Eastbourne.”

Blair is one of five site managers responsible for managing the build of new homes at Meadowburne Place. She said: “It’s a step up in terms of responsibility, but the culture at Meadowburne Place is just fantastic. There’s a buzz in the air and a real sense of respect within the team for one another, from the most senior site managers all the way down to our newest graduates, which creates such a positive working environment.

“It’s a very fast paced role and it’s the kind of environment that someone with a can do attitude can really thrive in. There’s only so much that you can learn from a textbook – the graduate scheme meant that I could get real hands on training by being out and about on site every day. My one piece of advice is that there’s no time to doubt yourself, so if you are organised and outspoken, anyone can learn to do this role.”

Barratt Southern Counties offers a number of apprenticeship and graduate opportunities. More information here.

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