Office cleaner Jenna Hunt has ditched the mop for a pop at a top contracting job on Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery.
The 35-year-old was encouraged to apply for a thermal insulation apprenticeship with site operator Altrad, and is now making major strides towards a key role at the long-term service provider to the North Killingholme site.
And her progress is being held up by the industry’s trade association - the apprenticeship provider- as it seeks to inspire more women to consider the career choice.
Read more: Oil refinery unites with training provider to deliver highly skilled apprenticeships
Having left school at 16, Jenna ended up in “a series of uninspiring office jobs” before becoming a cleaner at Altrad’s refinery site office at LOR.
“I’d always wanted to do something that was more fulfilling and the lads on the refinery site kept telling me to apply for an operator’s job, but then the thermal insulation apprenticeship came up and I decided to go for it,” she said. “I’m now learning to handle different insulation materials and to cut and shape them to fit pipework and ducting. I’ve always enjoyed crafting, and the skills required are similar!”
Her TICA apprenticeship involves a combination of practical on-site work with Altrad as well as developing skills and best practice at TICA’s national training centre in Darlington for two-week block periods as she works towards gaining the nationally recognised qualifications.
Jenna, from Immingham, said: “Thermal insulation and the wider construction industry wasn’t something I’d ever considered, but this apprenticeship offers a clear pathway to a fulfilling and well-paid career.
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“It may be a male dominated industry, but I’ve not experienced any discrimination and there’s no task I haven’t been able to achieve because I’m a woman. I’d advise anyone, whatever their gender or background, to seriously consider it.”
The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association is currently examining ways of encouraging more women to join the sector. it is is the only provider of the industry’s Level Two Apprenticeship Standard for Commercial Thermal Insulation Operative and Level Three Apprenticeship Standard for Industrial Thermal Insulation Technician.
Marion Marsland, chief executive, said: “Women haven’t always seen construction as something for them because of a perception that it involves heavy manual work, which isn’t the case.
“At the same time, they have traditionally been funnelled into occupations which further reinforce gender stereotypes, such as office work, cleaning, caring, beauty, teaching, and retail.
“We do have a few female apprentices, but I hope Jenna’s experience can encourage and inspire more women to break down those invisible barriers. By doing so they will gain well-qualified and well-paid jobs.
“There is an abundance of skills women possess that this industry is failing to tap into while, at the same time, women are missing out on an abundance of good quality jobs – and it is TICA’s task to put the two together.”
And Jenna's work has been endorsed by her employer. A spokesperson for Altrad said: “Jenna conducts herself in a professional manner onsite, while her standard of work and enthusiasm is excellent. Nothing seems to faze her, and she is proof that a woman can excel in a traditionally male-dominated industry like construction.”