See it to be it! Representation helps attract talent into construction sector

Former joinery apprentice Dwynwen Parry hopes that standing in front of her class will show her female students the endless options on offer for a career in construction.

The higher education construction and civil engineering programme leader at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM), understands the importance of representation, and wants to help women feel supported in pursuing a job in the industry.

Throughout her career, she has been used to self-advocacy, starting out as consistently the only woman on site, and initially facing push back to train in the sector.

To help ensure all students now have opportunities to thrive, she works closely with Wynne Construction, whose team has visited the college as guest lecturers, organised site visits, and offered work placements for trainees.

Teaching at the Llangefni campus where she completed her apprenticeship, Dwynwen said: “When I was in secondary school, I was interested in taking up woodwork, but I wasn’t allowed to join because of my gender.

“After persistent objection, I finally managed to secure a place and then went on to study a joinery and carpentry course at the Llangefni campus, so it definitely feels like I’ve come full circle.”

After developing her skills working around the world, Dwynwen, who is now the owner of a furniture fitting company, began teaching at the college to show students they can shape their career in whatever way they want.

She added: “My first job was learning how to make and install doors and windows, before becoming a consultant and working on sites across the world, such as in the Philippines and the Caribbean islands.

“Since being back in the UK, I’ve set up my own business and started teaching. I loved being out on site, but I’m now more passionate about being in the classroom to share my knowledge and experience.

“It’s great to see more women coming through the doors, compared to when I was starting out, but there’s still a long way to go.

“I think there’s a huge misconception that studying construction prepares you to be out on site all the time, but you have more control to shape the job in a way which will work for you long-term.

“The apprenticeship is the building block, as I have many graduates going on to work in quantity surveying and architecture roles.”

During the construction and the built environment courses at GLLM, students can gain experience with local companies, historically taking up placements at Wynne.

She added: “It’s great that the team provides these opportunities, and over the years, they’ve come in to deliver talks, invited us to site, and offered traineeships.

“One student I taught took on an apprenticeship with the firm, working on its build of Ysgol Y Graig in Llangefni. Now, he is employed at the firm as a site manager, which shows the impact of these opportunities.”

Wynne has recently completed a new engineering centre for GLLM’s Rhyl campus, as well as various school projects on Anglesey, including the major redevelopment of Ysgol Corn Hir.

Social value manager Jodi Hamilton added: “It’s fantastic that women in the classroom have the chance to learn from Dwynwen, who has an exciting career in the industry, and hopefully this representation will further inspire them.

“We love working closely with education providers to boost opportunities for young people, so we jump at the chance of spreading our knowledge far and wide.”

Thank you Dwynwen for sharing your thoughts and giving your time to this feature.

For more information about the courses available at GLLM, click here.

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