Our Stories

Claire Follows

Trainee Assistant Site Manager

Qualifications: Studying towards an NVQ 4 in Site Supervision

Claire is a Trainee Assistant Site Manager working across untypical’s Eastern region. As a career changer who entered the industry through the Women into Home Building scheme, she's proof that it's never too late to find a role you love.

Here’s Claire’s story: 

From career break to construction site: How transferable skills helped me build a new career 

I nearly talked myself out of a career that has completely changed my life. After five years out of work caring for my children, I assumed I didn't have the experience needed to work in construction. What I discovered was that construction values much more than technical knowledge – it needs organisation, communication, resilience and problem-solving skills too.  

You are never too old to learn, adapt, and grow. Now I work as a trainee assistant site manager and am learning new things every day. 

How I got here

I joined the Women into House Building (WiHB) programme in the May 2025 cohort, but I took some persuading. 

The scheme, which is run by the Home Builders Federation in collaboration with national and regional home builders, provides a three-week programme including online training and insight sessions, followed by a two-week onsite work experience placement.  

I clicked on a Facebook advert and WiHB kept calling me, but I ignored them at first, because I thought that to manage all those trades you needed to know about all the trades beforehand. I’d discovered the programme after taking a five-year career break to care for my children and had already taken a leap by studying Level 3 bricklaying at the same college that my teenage children attended.  

But one day I did answer the call, we had a chat and he said, ‘What is it that's stopping you?’ and as soon as I explained my thoughts to him, he just said, ‘We've got people from backgrounds that have never been in construction’. I didn’t really believe him, but then at this time in my life I thought ‘What's the worst that can happen? It’s an experience’. 

I decided that if I can survive going into a room at college full of 17 and 18-year-old lads, who are just looking at me thinking ‘Why are you here’, then I can survive on a construction site because they're all far more approachable onsite than 17-year-old students. 

One of the reasons I went back to college was because I wanted to show both my girls that it doesn't matter how old you are, and it doesn't matter what your situation in life is.  You can always put yourself in a different position, because sometimes in life that's really important, as is having a goal, and something to look forward to and aim for.  

One of the biggest things WiHB helped me understand was the value of transferable skills. Before applying, I had spent years running a children's nursery and working in financial services. I didn't think either role had anything to do with construction. 

In reality, I was already using many of the skills needed on a building site every day including organising people, managing paperwork, solving problems, communicating with different personalities and staying calm under pressure. 

Looking back, those experiences prepared me far more than I realised. 

As a trainee assistant site manager, my role is about coordinating people, processes and priorities to keep the site running smoothly. Every day involves working with different trades, suppliers, customers and colleagues to make sure homes are built safely, efficiently and to the highest standards. 

The technical knowledge is important, but the skills that matter most are communication, organisation, decision-making and the ability to adapt when things don't go exactly to plan. 

As well as health & safety and welfare, I make sure that on the day, the building process is going according to plan. There’s a lot of communication required. I also look after the customers, in terms of people who have already moved in whilst we're building around them. Plus, learning. I obviously don't have all the knowledge that other people have, so learning is a significant part of what I do, with it being an apprenticeship as well. No two days are the same, in fact two hours are the same. 

It’s early days for me, but my role is a combination of more formal learning on Tuesdays, which is all remote learning with a cohort. So those days are generally off site. And then the other four days, I go onto site and get involved in all the different things, and then I take elements of what I'm doing and they fit into the NVQ and also the apprenticeship with the NHBC, which run alongside each other. 

If someone is considering a career in construction, I'd say the most important skills are: 

  • Communication – you'll be working with lots of different people every day.  

  • Organisation – there are many moving parts on a site and attention to detail is essential.  

  • Problem-solving – challenges arise constantly and you need to think on your feet.  

  • Resilience – not every day goes to plan, so being able to adapt is important.  

  • Confidence and willingness to learn – nobody knows everything, and the industry offers opportunities to keep developing.  

These aren't skills that only come from construction. Many people develop them through previous jobs, raising families or life experience. 

What surprised me most was that nobody expected me to know everything. Construction is a team environment and everyone brings different strengths and experiences. The people who succeed are often those who are willing to ask questions, learn from others and work collaboratively. 

I started with untypical on January 5, and there's not been a single day where I have felt that someone's thought ‘What on earth are you doing here because you don't know stuff’. I did have that fear in my head that everyone must know everything about every single trade, but then I realised you can't be an expert in every trade.  

In five years' time, I would hope that I'd be confident enough to go into site management. I want some value out of being the trainee assistant site manager and I do think it's important to then go and be an assistant site manager for a good two or three years. 

I want to be part of a team that does build the best homes and I've got real pride in what we're doing. I'm really passionate about everything we do, just the challenge, really. I love it. It's changed my life, which has changed my children's lives as well. 

Looking back, I realise that my biggest obstacle wasn't a lack of experience – it was a lack of confidence in the skills I already had. 

Construction needs people from different backgrounds who can communicate, organise, solve problems and lead teams. My journey has shown me that you don't need decades of construction experience to get started. 

If you're willing to learn and bring the right attitude, there is a place for you in this industry. Taking that chance has changed my life – and shown my children that it's never too late to start something new.