Codie Daley, 20 from Stockport was attending college full-time and working part-time in retail. Codie soon realised that a full-time college course wasn’t for her and that she wanted to gain hands-on experience whilst achieving a qualification - earning a salary was a bonus!
After some research, Codie decided that she would like to investigate opportunities in the Scaffolding industry. Scaffolding is predominantly a male occupation – this didn’t put Codie off.
Codie approached Toni Wilson, Office Manager at Cheshire Scaffolds Ltd, and they discussed roles within the company, which was when she was certain that she wanted to train to become a Scaffolder through the apprenticeship route. Cheshire Scaffolds Ltd had a vacancy that Codie applied for and was successful in securing the position.
Toni said: “We were delighted when Codie approached us and applied for the vacancy, and during her interview, I could see how passionate and committed she was. I immediately thought this is the perfect opportunity to promote women in the industry and would be our first female scaffolder at the company, to participate in the apprenticeship.
“Many people still consider Scaffolding to be a male-only profession which I strongly disagree with and feel very passionate about it. It is becoming apparent that more women are showing an interest in the construction sector, but I feel there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
“At Cheshire Scaffolds Ltd we feel that apprenticeships are the best way to recruit new employees and bring in new talent to the business. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will have the opportunity to attract more females to our industry.
“Codie has received significant positive feedback from both her superiors and GC Education and Skills Tutors, and I have no doubt in my mind she will conquer her goal. Unfortunately, Coronavirus has delayed events a little longer than anticipated but with Codie’s strong full willingness and determination, I know she will achieve what she came here to do.”
Codie said: “I would like to lead by example and show that the industry is for both female and males. I feel honoured to be Cheshire Scaffolds' first female apprentice.”
When asked about the support she has received from GC Education and Skills, Codie said: “I have dyslexia which means that I may need additional support when completing the theory part of my apprenticeship. When I first started, I was not confident in disclosing the information to my Tutors so I was struggling with the assessments however, my tutor was able to detect there was a problem, and he arranged a one-to-one meeting to discuss the support which was available to me.
“I would strongly recommend the Growth Company Education and Skills to anyone who is considering an apprenticeship. All the staff have been extremely supportive, they are always on hand to offer support and the opportunities are endless.”
For more information about apprenticeships at GC Education Skills, click here.
