Efforts made to increase number of women in construction sector

On a dusty development site in Earls Court, west London, Charlie Lillington is learning how to operate a heavy JCB dumper truck, something she describes as a "dream". The 39-year-old mother-of-six used to work as a farmer until her nephew, who works as a scaffolder, encouraged her to get into the sector. The transition was natural, she explains: "I've basically just switched from driving a tractor to a dumper." After starting in groundwork, she's now enrolled on a brand new women-only course specialising in heavy machinery training - the first of its kind in London, and run by the Skills Centre. It's normally a rare sight to find women working on a construction site. Females make up just 14-15% of all construction workers and 1-2% of practical roles, according to its training board. With the sector facing a significant skills shortage, and a looming target of 1.5 million new homes proving a challenge, efforts are being made to encourage more into the industry. In recent years, more women have been entering construction apprenticeships, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)'s analysis of government figures. In 2018, 340 women completed apprenticeships and 1,45