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SES Welcomes Its First Female Apprentice Plumber

A SES Shepherd Engineering Services product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Jul 1, 2004

Leading (York-based) UK building services company SES, is pleased to announce the recruitment of its first female apprentice plumber, Faye Mullins.

Faye, from Slough, will work for the company's Central Region operations who are based in Birmingham and Northampton.

For her first experience of site life she has been posted at its £10 million DEFRA/VLA Project, Weybridge, where she has been partnered with a qualified plumber to start learning her trade.

After applying to companies in her area for over a year and a half to obtain a Modern Apprenticeship in Plumbing, without success, Faye contacted SES.

Christine Wright, SES's National Training Manager, explains: "Faye was really keen and focused on what she wanted to do as her future career.

She had even gone as far as already enrolling on a full-time plumbing course at the East Berkshire College.

That's determination you don't always find.

We were also very impressed with her attitude and reality about the job." During her apprenticeship Faye will now continue to spend two days at college and the rest on-site.

In four years she will then hopefully qualify as a Trained Plumber.

This will encompass meeting the requirements of the NVQ Level 2 en route to Level 3.

Through this process she will be regularly monitored, assessed and mentored.

Faye said of her new role: "It's a very good career and something I was always interested in.

I also like the fact that I get paid while I learn and I get to know what it's like to work a full day.

The split between college and on-site work makes it more interesting as well." But did she think her gender made any difference? "There isn't any difference being a girl on-site or at college.

My aim is to become a fully qualified plumber." Bill Teasdale, SES Project Manager at Faye's first site said: "She [Faye] is a real asset to the team.

She's energetic and enthusiastic.

Also, in the time she has been with us we have already seen a great improvement in her knowledge base and skills.".