Rachel Skinner has been working with Miller Homes for over a decade, based at their regional offices in Derby
A customer support manager for a regional housebuilder is celebrating Women in Construction Week by looking back at the changes the industry has seen over the past decade.
Rachel Skinner, who has worked for Derby-based Miller Homes East Midlands for almost 11 years, has seen plenty of change during that period, not least the growth in female talent entering and staying within the housing industry.
Rachel’s day-to-day role as a customer support manager means she sees more people than most throughout the developer’s business and commented on the rise towards equality for the sector, which had previously been male-dominated.
Rachel said: “I’ve never felt as though being a woman made any difference while working with Miller Homes or within the construction industry more widely, which shows how far we’ve come forward even during my time as an employee.
“I would point out, however, the sheer number of female representation across all sectors of our business is now better than it’s ever been. This shows progress and also suggests women are not only more likely to look into a career in construction, but stick with it too, which I think is equally as important.”
Miller Homes is celebrating Women in Construction Week from March 4 to 9 alongside the National Association of Women in Construction, and is also marking International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 8, by encouraging its teams to provide their experiences of working within the industry.
The housebuilder aims to create open, honest debate within its workforce to ensure every voice is heard and that topical matters are raised and discussed.
Rachel said: “What remains important for Miller Homes and the industry more widely is that we continue to offer equal opportunities based on merit, not gender, and everyone has the chance to upskill themselves should they wish to.
“Miller Homes offers a fantastic range of training and development opportunities to all its staff, and regardless of gender, everyone has an equal chance to better prepare for the next stages of their career.”
As a customer support manager, Rachel’s position in the business allows her to speak to a wide range of Miller Homes residents and the feedback they provide is invaluable to her work on behalf of the housebuilder.
She added: “One of the biggest factors and recurring themes as to why customers are drawn to Miller Homes is our status as a five-star rated housebuilder by the HBF. We’ve retained that honour for many years but it remains vital to customers who can really trust in the product.
“It’s one of the many things that makes me proud to represent Miller Homes and I’m sure for all female or male staff we can take real pride in coming to work every day for a housebuilder which delivers on its promises both to its customers and within its own internal channels, too.”
To find out more about starting a career in construction with Miller Homes, visithttps://www.millerhomes.co.uk/corporate/careers.aspx.
