Claudia Ferguson.
A North East training company is welcoming its first ever female scaffolding apprentice and is urging others to follow to help address the dramatic gender imbalance in the construction sector.
Only 12% of construction workers are female with less than 2% working manually
on construction sites, according to statistics by the CITB, so training and
skills specialist AIS Connect was delighted when Claudia Ferguson enrolled onto
its CITB-endorsed scaffolding apprenticeship scheme.
Claudia, aged 22, from Sunderland works for scaffolding company ISL and will
undertake a full CITB scaffolding apprenticeship with AIS Connect. The unique
programme takes wannabe scaffolders, aged 16-24, through a minimum of 18 months
of comprehensive skills training and on-the-job experience to qualify as a CISRS
(Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme) scaffolder able to safely
erect, alter and dismantle scaffolding structures.
After leaving school, Claudia was unsure of the right career path to follow.
Despite studying photography and art and design at college no suitable jobs were
available and Claudia ended up working in a call centre to earn money. But
Claudia knew this wasn’t for her and after several discussions with a family
friend set her sights on the construction industry.
Claudia said: “When I heard about what a job in scaffolding involves it
immediately appealed. You get to work outside in lots of different locations and
it’s very physical so you can keep fit without going to the gym. The lack of
women in the sector made me want to rise to the challenge even more and show
people I was capable of doing the job.
“I can’t deny it was hard at first but now I love it. The banter is fantastic
and the guys I work with are extremely supportive and treat me like one of their
own. My boss in particular has been there for me all the way and the company has
really helped me progress. Once I complete my apprenticeship with AIS Connect, I
want to go into a supervisory role – possibly offshore. I can’t see myself doing
anything else and would encourage women to look at construction as a viable
career option. Because women are rare in the sector, companies are much keener
to take you on and there are lots of potential jobs out there.”
Head of partnerships and strategic development at AIS Connect, Kate Lovelock
said: “It’s important to get the message out that the construction sector offers
lots of rewarding and exciting career paths for women as well as men. AIS
Connect is working with the region’s key educational establishments to raise
awareness of the opportunities available in the construction, engineering and
energy sectors and it’s great to see a female as enthusiastic and motivated as
Claudia coming through our doors. Hopefully her story will inspire others and we
urge any woman wanting to find out more about how to get into industry to get in
touch.”
Kevin Hartburn, apprenticeships officer from the CITB said: “There is a terrific
future for women in the construction industry and enlightened employers will be
the ones to reap the benefits of having a higher proportion of females in their
workforce. We’re delighted to see a female in the scaffolding industry being
trained with AIS Connect. The company has an excellent reputation for developing
tailored training programmes for industry and has heavily invested in a new
state-of-the-art training facility for young people.”
God the sites would be great if a few more lassies signed up U0001f601U0001f601U0001f601
Nadine Kohler it not healthier for anyone like the whole of the construction industry.
Do you think this job is healthy for men?
I did this for one year. So, just because you never saw a women scaffolder, does not mean they could not.
I’ll try harder, you top Scaff…
Bet she only likes big poles
I’ve been scaffolding forty years mate and I don’t know anyone who’s pumped up 100 long if your doing that mate your on the wrong firm
You go gurlllss… but every scaff is a massive perv U0001f914
I see women scaffolder working every day . No issue with them. They are a good journyman women out there can build
Wagon has turned up on site we need 100 21s to the top of a 14 lift scaffold….. bring on the guns miss Ferguson. U0001f602
Martin Firth read some of these comments U0001f602
Not with that attitude!
Claudia Phoenix Ferguson come scaff in nz
Your probably right but Im sure you can list of many males that werent up for the task. Just throw her in and train em the same as anyone else. The rest will sort itself out.
Aye on yer self, come back when you 30 with a wrecked back, knees and tell us you’ve done the right thing.
This game has got harder and heavier over the years not to forget the health and safety madness.
Sam Rogers I’d love it if she could carry more poles than u!!! Girl power !! Cheers!
Offshore Supervisor? Be careful what you wish for! Offshore is not the same these days.
You’re still young so go see the world as a Scaff. I done it many years ago and wouldn’t change it for the world. Good luck.
What is this world coming to, they’re going to want to vote next
Good luck and fair play U0001f44fU0001f44fgirl
Hahahaa omg I’ve had them
I wish her the best of luck. It’s a hard job, but mind will always > Matter! 🙂
Be more useful than the soft cunts coming through the ranks now
Dean Hiden show your dad this
Christopher Watson better than u m8
Love to see her throw a 21 ladder beam out 100ft up
She can come and work with me and Luke Galaska We would make graft###seesaw#
Often toyed with the idea of setting up an all female scaffolding crew and call it tubular belles.
Best of luck.
U0001f600
You go girl. ???
Deff need more chicks on the tools well done
Having said that most scaffs are poofs these days
How long before the first sexual harrasment case is taken because them scaffs like the banter
There is hope for you James Grice lol…
Hahahaha best idea need to bring mine one day
Good on you keep it up
i remember her mate on the children’s hospital Birmingham
Good luck to you good to see someone like you is prepared to step into a mans world U0001f44d
Scaffolders are just about the most sexist workforce in Britain. Bunch of white ego maniacs that have to make themselves feel better by making out that scaffolding is hard. Good luck to her.
Good on her I say. Loving all the sexist comments; highly amusing.
good luck hard industry get on a industrial job ya laughing
Best of luck in your job
P or V….it’s the turning that does the earning..good on ya U0001f60a
scaff safe and keep the faith
She’ll get pregnant and fire out lots of little scaffolders…
Wonder if she can pump up 100 long on a hot summers day ….
The way the magazine make it sound like there is a big problem with the low number of women in construction, maybe just maybe the majority of women have no interest in hard labor constitution just like the majority of men don’t want to be nurses but we don’t see stupid articles about the inequality of men in nursing. Stupid article!
Mick Stoko Stockinger U0001f602U0001f602
That’s plumbing a very long way from scaffolding
She coming to work for IAC scaffolding
What happens when she’s on the blob? Look out, incoming double!
Make you right mate. Get the flat dick to hemp a longun! Some things in this world are men’s jobs and scaffolding is one of them! Get back to the sink!
Susi Astley Ramone was working at cardington hangers 180ft up in the air with all the lads long before harnesses
Good luck you will need it with all the fat useless gits out there, no doubt you will show them up.
Was a modify. She had to dig them out mostly from the bottom haha wasnt letting her off that easy
Davie Alexander 35yrs for me
I just can’t see a girl/woman slinging a bundle of 5s or a bucket of doubles on her shoulder & running up an 8mtr ladder all day or pulling gear on a rope
It just won’t happen
Hope she cleaned up them standards after that U0001f602
Jon Sinclair as long as it wasn’t your head she was grabbing U0001f61cU0001f602
Matthew Sunderland hahaha U0001f595U0001f3fb
Brent Alderson mate you’d of come in hand on site I’ve always hated putting the bottle handrail in lol
Rehmat Dogar 0559151419
Danny Baker thanks
Fair play to ya scaff !
Good luck U0001f44dU0001f3fcU0001f44dU0001f3fc
Not like you to be moaning you Bold C**T U0001f474U0001f3fbU0001f601
If you can handle the banter then scaffolding is 90% technique good luck and stay away from gun till you can turn a spanner
U0001f602 wouldn’t have to push, she’d just throw it up
Claudia you can come work with me instead of Ross Carvill. As long as you turn up every Monday you will already be better than him U0001f44d
Joanne Waller you looking for a start
Simone Simon if like to see a bird take a toppa out 100 feet up head height I think not
You get her to push up a long past her shoulders never happening
Poles are from Poland we use tubes in scaffolding U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602
Good on you !!! All the best for the future U0001f44dU0001f3fb
Thank you U0001f601
She’ll be off cryin the first time someone rips into her I’ve had plenty of youngsters do it and they aren’t the least bit emotional or bleed for 7 of 28
Good for you girl! Fab attitude!!U0001f44dU0001f3fe
Haha dirty Debbie weren’t it. I used to get her head and give her the d generation x move on 5 ways island job in brum U0001f602
Might be But plumbers don’t carry lift the heavy materials needed in doing our job !
she was USELESS!! Lol
Kevin Gor new recruit
You should come to Alberta, Canada with Union. They are many women for any trade also in scaffolding and they are quite strong.
Once a year I plan to do a bring your Mrs to work day. Seems stupid but strangely she now has a whole new appreciation for what we do after only 2 hrs haha. Genuinely solved a few issues we were having…
At least the boys know they will get a good cuppa and decent sandwiches
Bet she can handle a longen.lol
I remember her mate she couldn’t do long
She’s guna get shagged all or
paul i totally agree 40yr in this job and never come across a woman scaffolder yet!
Not gonna lie it’s hard but hey ho, might as well give it a try , I’ve been there over a year and id say the hardest part is out the way
Hahahaa proppa getting hipped
She will b running the job after 6 months coz women can multi task
I know hahahah
Yes Claudia lass, top scaff ?????
I work with a female scaff in aus shes great.
Sophie Burns get involved hahaha
Well i had a female trainee plumber with me and she was better that any male I’ve had! Keen quick on the uptake!
Haha I heard u laboured to her.
I’ve come across one female scaffolder before who worked for SGB she was fukin useless the only thing she was good at was shagging most of the men on site and she wasn’t no oil painting either. What happens when she gets pregnant my Mrs worked near enough to her due date will she ?
No erection jokes?
She wants the Scaff d***k
Sandy gonna replace you
Gotta love a woman who enjoys handling a pole
She looks like a bloke
Give your head a shake lass ? It’s wank
Good on her! She’s got guts to try this job. She might last, you never know.
Really lol
Fair play to her
I’m afraid it’s probably a publicity stunt because I might be regarded as sexist but a woman cannot do this job they are not physically strong enough no matter what they say!!
This is quiet laughable U0001f923 no disrespect most females don’t have the physical prowess to enable them to carry out this job !