Now in its 18th year, National Apprenticeship Week is an annual campaign designed to demonstrate the positive impact of apprenticeships on individuals, businesses, and the economy. Throughout the week, Esh Construction is championing the benefits of apprenticeships by showcasing the accomplishments of both current and former apprentices.
Here, we catch up with Assistant Quantity Surveyor Kelly Irving, to find out more about her role in Esh’s affordable housing refurbishment division, the support she has received to return to college later in her career and why more women should consider roles in construction.
How long have you worked with Esh Construction and how did the training opportunities arise?
I actually fell into construction when I was made redundant from a role as a legal secretary in Newcastle. I’d gone into that role from school, so it was quite a change of scenery after my redundancy. My initial position with Esh was in a different part of the business, working on reactive maintenance contracts for Local Authorities and affordable housing clients, mainly working across administrative duties, raising parts orders and being a point of contact for safeguarding issues.
As my role progressed into a senior position, I became more involved in the financial side of the business and was given an opportunity to move into refurbishment, where I was initially dealing with the invoicing of void works. I’ve now been with Esh for 11 years and work across planned maintenance schemes.
How has Esh supported your development?
Esh has been a great support in my development, as a company they are eager for their employees to progress. I have studied for a Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma at Gateshead College with support from Esh and just started a Construction Quantity Surveyor degree apprenticeship at Northumbria University.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to progress or undertake further training in the workplace?
Discuss with your line manager how you wish to progress and if there is a course or training programme which you feel could benefit you and your role, discuss with your manager – they will always be supportive of your career progression. Although Esh as a company have been very supportive, I feel that I wouldn’t have been able to succeed without the support of my colleagues who I work with on a day-to-day basis as well as my managers, Steve Tracey and Andrew Harrow.
What would you tell someone about the potential for career development in construction?
There is always career progression available, even if the role is not within your current department. If someone had asked me back in 2018, if I would be completing a degree at my age – 39 – I would have probably said there’s no chance, but here I am having just started at university in January. The one thing I have learnt at Esh is you’re never too old to start learning and with the support and backing of your colleagues and managers, as well as a lot of hard work, you can achieve whatever your goal is.
What advice would you give to other women considering a career in construction?
Don’t be put off by fact that the industry has a high percentage of male workers, women are just as capable as men to have a career in construction. More women are choosing a career in the industry recently, in both on site and office roles.
After working within the refurbishment sector for nearly a year, I became the sole female within the team for a period of time. I thought that it may be difficult but the whole team made my job a lot easier as they didn’t treat me any different to anyone else. Esh will support you no matter your age, gender, race or religion – everyone is treated equally and that is what makes Esh a great place to work.
If someone had asked me back in 2018, if I would be completing a degree at my age – 39 – I would have probably said there’s no chance, but here I am having just started at university in January. The one thing I have learnt at Esh is you’re never too old to start learning and with the support and backing of your colleagues and managers, as well as a lot of hard work, you can achieve whatever your goal is.”