Comment from Helen Charlesworth, Head of HR at ilke Homes:

“As one of the UK’s leading modular housebuilders, ilke Homes is committed to championing diversity and addressing the skills shortage within the construction industry. As an emerging sector, modular housebuilding offers a range of new career opportunities for women looking to enter the industry, upskill or retrain. Whether it’s learning a trade, growing technical skills or a professional role, ilke Homes are dedicated to identifying and championing female talent on their journey through the industry.

“Our goal is to increase our percentage of female employees to 30% across every level of the organisation by December 2020, and we’re already over halfway towards reaching this milestone. We’re achieving this by focusing on the unskilled job market and looking outside the construction sector to fill roles; we’re hiring people because they’ve impressed the team with their behaviour and attitude – rather than a specific skill set – which allows us to employ great women who might not have considered a career in construction and manufacturing previously.

“On International Women’s Day, we hope to be an example of how the construction, engineering and manufacturing industries can evolve to attract more females and encourage other organisations to do the same.”