Grace is laying the foundations for a career in construction

Grace Cameron is one of dozens of young women training for a career in a male dominated industry.

The 19-year-old from Prudhoe has her sights set on becoming an architect and is completing our PlanBEE apprenticeship programme to gain the knowledge and skills she needs to be successful.

Now in the second and final year of the programme, Grace has shared her experience at recruitment events to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

She said: “I was looking for an apprenticeship that would be on par with a university degree but in my opinion PlanBEE is a much better experience. Everyone I’ve worked with during the programme has said that they’d definitely have taken this route had it been available when they were starting out.

“I’ve been really proactive in making sure other people like me understand just how amazing the programme is in the hope that I can inspire and encourage other young people, particularly women and other underrepresented groups to give it serious consideration.”

Grace is currently on placement with Sir Ribert McAlpine working on the City Riverside commercial build project in Sunderland city centre. As part of the programme she’ll have the chance to gain skills in the different disciplines within the built environment sector by completing a number of placements.

Anjana Raj, Company Social Value Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “The work Grace is doing to promote the PlanBEE programme and encourage more women into the built environment industry is fantastic. It’s so important that other young women see people like themselves in what have traditionally been male dominated roles; that’s how we’ll break down barriers and drive change.”

The PlanBEE apprenticeship programme was developed in 2016 in partnership with Ryder Architecture to give young people a solid foundation for a career in the built environment. Apprentices learn multiple disciplines, working in a variety of roles including architecture, engineering, quantity surveying and construction – all with a strong emphasis on digital skills.

Alongside their college studies, the apprentices are employed to learn on the job and rotate across employers including Ryder, Black & White Engineering, Cundall, Identity Consult, Gleeds, Bowmer + Kirkland, Castle Building Services.