Two TClarke women get our 25% women in apprenticeship programme underway

9/2/23 : Trainee Commissioning Engineer Emily Lyons and Project Surveyor Sharon Fernandes launched TClarke’s 5 year programme targeting 25% women entrants into apprenticeship and training, by talking to 150 girls at St Marylebone School, London at an event led by the Construction Youth Trust to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2023.

Emily Lyons’ highly successful TClarke apprenticeship has led her into her chosen area of engineering and also into TClarke’s Future Leaders programme.

“There is a preconceived idea that an apprenticeship is for people who don’t do well in school. That couldn’t be further from the truth – an apprenticeship can create a gateway to an engineering career, with hands on experience, while also getting paid to learn on and off the job, in a great team. In so many ways, for so many capable and ambitious people, it is the best route forward.

“Yesterday was about planting the seed of the idea in people’s minds. I was very glad to see there was so much interest in the practical details of what qualifications you would require and how the college days would work.”

Sharon Fernandes is a fully qualified TClarke Quantity Surveyor with deep industry experience across world class projects. She had a couple of very clear messages to get across:

“I wanted to emphasise to the girls that’s it’s okay not to take a traditional path to reach your career.   Secondly, I wanted them to realise that the construction industry has really diverse opportunities for young women and is a rewarding and prosperous career.

“It was definitely a positive experience, just seeing the interest in an industry they were unaware of – that really felt beneficial and worthwhile. The fact it generated so many questions made me realise how interested young women are in apprenticeships and furthering their education in our industry.

As this groundbreaking TClarke initiative rolls out across our business, there’s a clear understanding that this will be by no means easy to achieve. In coming months, women and men across our business will undertake the serious work of presenting our career opportunities to  women – and supporting them throughout their professional development. The journey has now really begun.