03/04/2024

Celebrating the Women into Construction Kensington and Chelsea Employment Programme

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On Wednesday 13th March 2024, Women into Construction (WiC) gold member BOUYGUES UK and WiC came together to showcase to the Kensington + Chelsea Foundation the fantastic opportunities the Women into Construction Kensington and Chelsea Employment Programme has brought to the Borough. An opportunity that would not be possible without the Foundation’s annual financial support.

The event showcased the partnership between Bouygues UK and WiC and how our employees are at the heart of our employability programmes. At the event, WiC met members of the Bouygues UK Social Value Team; Suzi Mattos, Senior Social Value Advisor and Beatriz Munoz, Resident Liaison as well as the site team led by Assistant Site Manager, Kamila Dura.

Everyone welcomed the women and Foundation, recounting stories of their journeys into construction, the employment opportunities and inspiring culture within the company and generally how they have a love for the industry. Alongside this, the Foundation and women heard directly from previous WiC programmes alumni some of whom had been with Bouygues UK for over 5 years.

Once inspired, we all headed over to the Wornington Green site (equipped with the relevant PPE) to be given a guided tour of the extensive build which is essential to the borough’s redevelopment plans. We heard from the team there about how the build has evolved, what the priorities are currently, as well as more about the health and safety measures in place and the materials being used.

The day before the visit, the site team had also reached the exciting milestone of the heat source pump installation! Everyone had a wealth of questions but agreed that the skill of the crane driver alone, requiring such precision and patience to navigate a small site, surrounded by local housing and with the March winds was no easy task.

One woman, keen to join the next WiC programme commented after the event:

I enjoyed the visit very much. It was insightful and interesting. I felt inspired and keen to explore construction as a career choice.

Dee Aylett-Smith, Operations Director for WiC commented:

It was great to invite the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation and the women from the borough who are exploring the construction industry as a career choice. To hear from past female alumni, Suzi and the Bouygues UK, Wornington Green team and have such an inspiring site visit was fantastic! A big thank you Suzi for arranging such a great day where we were left feeling so inspired about the live construction site, the recently installed heat pump as well as the impact being made at the local level.

Suzi said:

It was a pleasure to have WiC and the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation with us. We proudly showcased our partnership programmes with WiC, and how it is has made a positive change on the women’s lives that have participated in this programme in RBKC. Having heard the testimonial from the alumni learners, I was really inspired, and it made me want to keep supporting this cause even more passionately.