International Women’s Day: technical manager Georgia explains the benefits of a career change
To mark International Women’s Day on 8th March, technical manager Georgia Brierley is reflecting on the improvements we’ve seen in the housebuilding industry over the years and explains the benefits of a career change.
33 year old Georgia works at Vistry Devon South West and helps deliver Linden, Bovis and Countryside properties in the region.
With eight years’ experience in the housebuilding industry, Georgia initially started on a very different path – on water! Following her tourism and hospitality degree at the University of Plymouth, Georgia spent almost five years on cruise ships, where she worked her way up to the position of front of house manager, supporting passengers.
Speaking about her experience she said: “Working on cruise ships was fantastic and I sailed on some incredible voyages to the Caribbean, Norwegian fjords and even world cruises. It was a wonderful experience and I loved travelling to beautiful destinations with colleagues, who became friends. However, after a few years I needed a bit more structure to my life and wanted to put down roots.
“I set my heart on retraining. I had transferrable skills: I was organised, good with people, and was used to liaising with multiple departments to get a job done – but wasn’t quite sure what to do. My dad works in housebuilding and he recommended finding a career in the industry, so aged 25, I started a technical apprenticeship.
“A benefit of being an older apprentice and knowing exactly what I wanted meant that I was keen to progress quickly, and I managed to finish my apprenticeship after nine months, well ahead of schedule. I then spent time with Barratt Homes – where I completed an HNC in construction and the built environment – and Redrow Homes as a technical coordinator.”
Georgia joined Vistry as a technical manager in August 2022. Her job involves getting land ready for development to handover to the build team. She collaborates with consultants, including ecologists, landscapers, structural engineers, planners, working drawing architects, civil engineers and archaeologists, to ensure the developments have detailed construction drawings and are ready for work to start on site.
Georgia said: “I really enjoy my job and take immense pride in seeing a site from start to finish. In technical you’re in the privileged position of seeing the development at every stage through to completion and it’s a great feeling when you deliver a project.
“Changing careers was a worry; I took a large drop in pay initially and my commute went from two minutes to 45 minutes, but I’m so pleased I took the plunge. I would definitely encourage others to do the same as you have the opportunity to start afresh, it made me hungry to succeed and really helped me to focus. No two days are ever the same. It’s challenging and varied work and I enjoy being out on site each week.”
Georgia – who enjoys holidays, walks and cooking in her spare time – lives in Torquay with her partner Dave, who has two children. They have just finished modernising a 30 year old Bovis home.
Talking about International Women’s Day, Georgia said: “It is far more inclusive in the workplace now, there has been a huge attitude change in society with flexible working and I think that’s helped enormously. There are more women – especially in the technical and commercial teams – and the situation is improving all the time. However, there are still odd occasions when I’m sat in a meeting and I’m the only female in the room and that has to change.
“It would be great to see more women in the industry, especially on site and in leadership. In terms of the future, I’d love to keep progressing in my role and I’ve enjoyed taking part in school site visits to help inspire the next generation – training people is such a rewarding thing to do. It’s never too early to plan your future or too late to change your career.”
Companies have taken a proactive role in increasing equality and inclusivity. Vistry has a diversity and inclusion committee with an active women’s network; there’s recruitment training, which includes the topic of ‘unconscious bias’ to support fair and consistent recruitment practice; the company’s maternity leave policy has been reviewed and improved; a menopause guide sets out the support available to employees; and progression and pay gaps are regularly analysed, with action plans produced. For more details on Vistry Group visit www.vistrygroup.co.uk.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion, where difference is valued and celebrated, awareness is raised against bias and action is taken for equality. For further information on International Women’s Day visit www.internationalwomensday.com.
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Notes to Editors
Vistry Group
Vistry Group is the UK’s leading provider of affordable mixed tenure homes. Our purpose as a responsible developer is to work in partnership to deliver sustainable homes, communities and social value, leaving a lasting legacy of places people love. We are a young and dynamic business with a Partnerships-led approach, delivered under our Countryside Partnerships brand, and an exciting timber-frame manufacturing operation called Vistry Works, running three factories and supporting our drive towards net zero.
Delivering thousands of homes every year for the affordable and private market places, Vistry Group also has an unmatched portfolio of retail brands, each with a rich history and strong reputation: Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Countryside Homes.
We are a multi award-winning housebuilder and the Group has again been awarded the 5 Star Rating by the Home Builders Federation following the latest industry’s Customer Satisfaction Survey. For more information go to www.vistrygroup.co.uk.
