Business improvement specialists BBI Services are celebrating their female employees during Women in Construction Week 2023.

Research reveals that around 14% of construction industry professionals are women¹, but the BBI team proudly contains a number of fantastic female staff who have vital roles within the organisation, including in business improvement, finance, office management and marketing.

One member, in particular, has over 10 years’ experience working in the construction sector on civil, residential and industrial projects – helping to maximise productivity, improve processes, and roll out business-wide improvements.

Jessie Stroud has worked at BBI Services for four and a half years as a Business Improvement Specialist.

“My role within construction is incredibly varied,” comments Jessie.

“If I’m working on a productivity-driving project, I could be researching and running data analytics, developing appropriate productivity metrics and KPIs and identifying opportunities for focused improvement projects. I can also undertake a coaching role with focused project leads by providing problem-solving tools, offering different project management approaches, and supporting their recognition of and reporting on the benefits of their improvements.

“It all depends on the day and the needs of the client, but I enjoy being on the ground running on-site last planner reviews, stand-ups with development teams, or remote collaborative planning workshops. My role focuses on ensuring all make-ready needs are fulfilled and there are no blockers to achieving the day’s targets.”

“There are many entryways into construction at every level and there’s an ethos of rewarding hard workers and promotion within, which is great when you have clear career goals.

“Plus, the practical work-based learning many construction firms offer can be just as rewarding as academic pursuits, and you get paid for it!

“I’d encourage anyone who has an interest in working in the sector to dive right in and find out more. I’ve worked in construction for 10 years, across several continents, and I look forward to continuing to for many more.”

Sammy King also works at BBI Services and is in the final stage of her Marketing Apprenticeship, having completed her A-Levels in the Summer of 2021.

Sammy highlighted that when she was in Sixth Form, the Construction Sector was only promoted as a manual industry, focusing on areas such as bricklaying, carpentry, and plumbing.

“I had no idea of the breadth of roles and opportunities that Construction had to offer, and it was not an industry I had considered for myself when looking at my next steps after Sixth Form,” Sammy comments.

“I believe there is a great opportunity for the sector to attract more women in the coming years, to help shape the next generation of construction. To do this, there needs to be more awareness and promotional activities within educational environments that engage everyone.

“Thank you to everyone at BBI for sharing your knowledge with me over the past few years, and helping to find my role within construction.”