I gained some experience doing general labouring until my hard work paid off and I got onto an apprenticeship scheme with national housebuilder, Taylor Wimpey, at the age of 17.
I fell pregnant during my training – and even this didn’t stop me. I finished the apprenticeship a week before giving birth and worked on site right until the end. My midwife and the HR team said I could do everything as before, I just had to avoid heavy lifting and working in the foundation trenches.
I gave birth to my daughter Macie in 2009 and after three months I was ready to return to work. However, the recession had hit the industry hard and I couldn’t find work so I took a job as a dental nurse to save up for further education. I worked night shifts in Asda while looking after Macie during the day catching an hour of sleep here and there.
Eventually I received funding from the Women’s Institute to start a BTEC in Construction and the Built Environment and I was able to fund my second year with my savings.
After more studying alongside jobs in document control and estimating – and giving birth to my son Maddox in 2012 – I finally landed the job I’d always wanted with BAM.
