Leading building products manufacturer Forterra has launched a ground-breaking female bricklaying competition. They have called it Bricklaying Forterra Females (BFF) and it is the first ever all female bricklaying competition of its type in the UK. The event took place at Havering Colleges, as part of a wider construction skills day to kick off their National Apprenticeship Week activities.
The competition was supported by the Brick Development Association, the Association of Brickwork Contractors and Havering College. Forterra donated its iconic London Bricks for use during the competition, while Big Wipes donated their iconic wipes.
What was the female bricklaying competition all about?
The aim of the competition was not only to find the best female student bricklayers in the country. It also served to encourage more girls and women to consider careers in bricklaying or construction. Statistics show that women currently make up just 2% of hands-on construction workers in the UK. Unfortunately, this figure has barely changed over the past 15 years.
The contest was open to all junior and senior female bricklaying students currently at colleges in the United Kingdom. There were spaces for 16 female students to take part. These were filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with any college limited to entering a maximum of two students.
The students competed for six hours to build an International Women’s Day-themed competition piece. Christian Hatherall-Good, Head of Construction Curriculum at Brooklands College in Surrey, and David Jones, Senior Instructor for Construction at Havering College, were the judges.
The female bricklaying winners
It was a difficult decision but they crowned 17-year-old Naomi Hamilton of Brooklands College as the winner. Second place was taken by Charlotte Springer, 18, also of Brooklands College, while 23-year-old Tangina “Tango” Choudhury of Barnfield College in Luton earned third place. Tiffany Atkinson, 17, who studies at Havering College, received Highly Commended for her competition piece.
Naomi is in the first year of her Level 2 Diploma in Bricklaying and has recently secured an apprenticeship with Lee Marley Brickwork. The only young woman on her course, Naomi said: “It was great fun taking part in BFF. I felt pretty tired after travelling, but it was brilliant to see the other girls getting stuck in too.”
“I’m grateful to my family and friends who have supported me in my journey. Above all, I hope to see many other women entering into the wet trades. It’s a job I love and would encourage others to find out more about what’s involved”, Naomi added.
No stranger to winning, she had also come first in the FIS Skills’ “I Built This” 2018 competition. BFF, however, was the first hands-on, deadline-based contest she had taken part in. Naomi’s favourite aspect of bricklaying is the simple satisfaction of laying each brick. She is a great ambassador of the industry, and thankfully is keen to continue with the trade in the future.
Charlotte is studying for a Level 1 Diploma in Bricklaying and also currently the only female doing so at her college. Tango is working on Level 1 Brickwork and has had the ambition of building her own home since she was very young.
What the organisers had to say
Sector Skills Advisor Bob Noseda was instrumental in organising the competition. He said: “We’re very proud to have hosted the first BFF competition and want it to become a yearly event. Every national competition has to start somewhere, and we will hopefully be able to look back on today as a legacy event. The BFF received great support from Forterra, who are an amazing company to work with. A big thank you also goes to Big Wipes, CPI EuroMix, Association of Brickwork Contractors and Brick Development Association.”
Kerri Chambers, who herself won a female bricklaying competition and is now a successful Assistant Quantity Surveyor for a London construction firm, added: “The industry is always looking for more people to join up. These days there are more options for women who want to get involved and build a career in the sector. It’s great that companies are helping to raise the profile of women in bricklaying by supporting the BFF competition. I began my career as a bricklayer when I was 19. I am proud that ten years on I’ve managed to progress in the industry.”
Stephen Harrison, Chief Executive of Forterra, concluded: “Construction has always traditionally been seen as male-dominated. We do hope and expect, however, to see increasing numbers of women working across the sector. This initiative aims to inspire more females to explore the opportunities the industry has to offer.”