Female city apprentice says: ‘Don’t be put off by gender’
A female Barratt Developments apprentice has told her story during Scottish Apprenticeship Week and ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow.
Jessica St Clair Gunn, 27, originally from Norfolk, moved to Edinburgh in 2010, and two years ago she applied for a place on a construction apprentice programme following an eight-year stint working in retail.
“I’ve always been interested in joinery,” said Jessica. “Growing up there wasn’t a female role model in the field for me to look up to, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming of designing and building my own home from scratch.
“I’m now coming to the end of my second year of the four-year programme, which combines classes at Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus with on-site experience. I’ve already picked up skills including crafting a door and on-site tasks like roughing, finishings and customer care.
“I’m keen to encourage other women to consider a career in construction and trades. If I could give any advice to women swithering on whether they want to pick up a trade, it’s that they shouldn’t be put off by their gender. It is a male-dominated area but that can change as more women realise their potential and put their skills to use. I’ve always found that women have a really good eye for detail which is extremely important in this line of work.
“I think what I would love to work on most is renovation projects – I’ve been a Grand Designs fan my whole life. However, who knows what the future holds? I may even look into becoming a site manager one day.”