Building jobs for women
Meet Janet Shelley, Managing Director, Women Builders
Thanks to Janet Shelley, you'll be seeing a lot more women on building sites. Janet is the founder of Women Builders, Britain's first female building company. Based in Milton Keynes, the company has trained hundreds of women, and employs predominately female trades people providing a broad range of general building maintenance and repair expertise.
Across the building trade, women account for less than 1% of workers, making the building site still very male dominated. But that is set to change if Janet achieves her aim to bring many more women into the construction industry and prove that they can build just as well as men.
"Four years ago I knew nothing about construction, and now it's my life. I’m proof that women do have a place in the construction industry."
The inspiration
Janet spotted a gap in the market when she decided to become a plasterer after working in IT for 15 years. "I decided I needed a radical career change," she says. The trouble was she couldn’t find any suitable training courses. This gave her the idea of starting Women Builders.
Getting started
Janet's first task was to obtain enough funding to get the idea off the ground. “Initially I came across a lot of resistance from banks who didn't believe that women could make a business in the building trade. But I love a challenge and was determined not to be put off by the ‘weaker sex’ perception and I kept on battling to set up the business."
She started by providing training for women apprentices in a derelict building that needed renovation. The project has transformed the property into a pleasant bright office space with good facilities and a car park.
Building a strong future
Women Builders has gone from strength to strength. The company has expanded to High Wycombe, Oxford and Aylesbury and has a turnover of £750,000 a year. “By setting up a successful building company primarily staffed by women, I have proved a lot of people wrong which is incredibly rewarding” says Janet.
Janet Shelley has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty The Queen during the 2007 Birthday Honours. She is Chair of Women and Manual Trades (WAMT), an organisation promoting women in the trades through education and example.” Four years ago I was successfully employed in IT, knew nothing about construction, and now it's my life. I want to share my ambitions with other determined women. It's been a major learning curve but I am proof that women do have a place in the construction industry."
Janet's top tips
- Know what you want to achieve and stick to it
Be firm, but fair, and always do what's right for the business - Be reliable
You’ll succeed if you’re thorough and honest and show you genuinely care about your customers
