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Trainee brickie urges more women to consider trade

BBC Woman wearing black jacket and pink high viz jacket stands in front on an arch brick wall she builtBBC
Ellie Warboys is in her first year of a Level 1 Bricklaying course at Moulton College

A bricklaying student says women should not be put off from entering the trade because of their gender.

Ellie Warboys, 16, from Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, is studying Level 1 Bricklaying at Moulton College and said she was "unashamed" to build a career in what is still a male-dominated profession.

Only 15% of the construction workforce is female, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Ms Warboys said "This is what I want to do and I'm going to stick by it."

A woman constructing a block wall by applying muck with a trowel
Ellie Warboys said an office job "just wasn't for her"

Ms Warboys has some family working in construction but said she never considered bricklaying as a career until she left school.

Being one of the only women in her class was initially hard, she said, but after the first few weeks she realised there was no gender divide, and she found herself "really enjoying it."

She said she hoped more women would join the profession, advising any women thinking of a career in construction to "just go for it".

After completing her studies, Ms Warboys said she hoped to run her own bricklaying business managing a crew of men and women.

'Shining example'

Man in orange high viz jacket stands next to pile of bricks
Lecturer Michael Blower is seeing more women join the course every year

Former bricklayer Michael Blower, 68, is a lecturer at Moulton College and says "a lot more" women are joining the trade.

Mr Blower said he was especially impressed with Ms Warboys' coursework so far, saying it was "easily Level 2 and Level 3 standard".

"Ellie is a shining example of how I want all my students to be," he said.

"She's flying. She's really shown all the lads what is possible if they put the effort in."

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