How go-getter Sophie from Stafford is buying her own home at the age of 20

The go-getter, who lives in Stafford, is loving life after choosing to start an apprenticeship with Bellway rather than go to university.

Sophie, who is assistant site manager at Bellway West Midlands’ Victoria Gate development in Stafford, said: “While I was doing my A levels at school I chose to do two weeks’ work experience at the development where my dad was the site manager. I absolutely loved it and wanted to do what he did. While all my friends were busy applying for university places I was searching for an apprenticeship in the construction industry.

“There weren’t any about at the time so I got a job in the local shop to keep me busy until I found a place. Then I saw that Bellway were offering a two-year apprenticeship and luckily they accepted me. I was delighted.”

Sophie is telling her story to celebrate Women in Construction Week, which runs to Saturday. The national campaign encourages more women to make a career in the building industry. Bellway has set itself a target to improve the gender diversity of its directly employed workforce to a 60/40 male/female split by July 2025. Last year this split was 69/31.

In January 2023, in collaboration with the Home Builders Federation, the not-for-profit organisation Women into Construction and eight other housebuilders, the Women into Housebuilding Programme was launched to attract more female recruits into trainee assistant site manager roles.

Sophie, who was living with her parents in Walsall, started as a trainee assistant site manager at the developer’s Rolleston Manor development in Rolleston Dove in December 2020.

“I worked on site four days a week and studied online one day a week and I lapped it up,” said Sophie. “Andy Adams was my site manager and he was incredibly supportive and his door was always open if I needed any help or advice.

“I was made assistant site manager in the summer of 2022 after getting my NVQ level 4 in site management. It was a lovely feeling and came just weeks after I had managed to buy my own three-bedroom semi-detached house in Stafford.

“While my friends were at university, I was earning and learning and had saved enough money for a deposit on a house. It just shows that you don’t have to study for a degree and saddle yourself with debt because you can sign up as an apprentice and get on with life.”

Towards the end of the build at Rolleston Manor, Andy left to take over at another development and Maddie Dale was appointed as acting site manager.

“We got on really well and it was brilliant to be working on a housing development where both the assistant site manager and the site manager were women,” said Sophie. “We were the only females on the construction team. That sends a powerful message to say that women can do this job and do it well.

“I know it is a traditionally male-dominated industry but that is the past. Myself and Maddie found that the trades teams were focused on getting the job done right rather than commenting on our gender.”

Construction work at Rolleston Manor is complete and Sophie has now moved to the Victoria Gate development in Stafford where she is the assistant to site manager Jon Wright.

“It is good for me to be able to work with different site managers to see how they operate and to pick up tips on different aspects of the job,” said Sophie. “My ambition is to be a site manager and then, after that, who knows where my career might take me, thanks to Bellway.”

Marie Richards, sales director at Bellway West Midlands, said: “Sophie is a real beath of fresh air and her passion for the job is remarkable. Her determination, diligence and attention to detail have seen her come on in leaps and bounds after joining us as a teenage apprentice.

“Sophie is a perfect example of the kind of female talent we want to attract to this company. We are proud of our association with the Home Builders Federation to support the Women into Construction initiative. Our Women into Housebuilding programme has successfully recruited its first trainee assistant site manager and the latest cohort will see the introduction of a further five female recruits into the programme in the new financial year.”

Sophie Crockford, who has become assistant site manager at Bellway’s Victoria Gate in Stafford at the age of 20

Sophie Crockford at her desk