Willmott Dixon Interiors has support a woman on the Release on Temporary License (ROTL) programme to support her transition back into the community.
Through working with HMP Downview, a female prison, we have supported the ROTL program to help female prisoners find the right career for them in the Construction industry. It is important to highlight to these women that construction can be a career path that could suit them once they have served their sentence.
We supported a female prisoner, Paige, onto one of our sites in London last year as a Labourer and to learn key skills. Paige was serving a prison sentence at the time and on day release. During her time on site, she has shadowed numerous job roles around our supply chain, and our operations and commercial teams. This has highlighted to her what is available to do within the construction industry, the wide variety, and what she enjoys most, as well as helping her to acquire multiple skills.
Rebecca Davies, Social Value Manager, has been supporting Paige since she was released, starting with a phone call the day she was released. Rebecca continued to support Paige with job references, and even university applications. Paige quickly enrolled onto a Construction Management University course. Shortly after, Rebecca found a place in one of Willmott Dixon’s projects in Goole as a site labourer. We Are Social Enterprise supported her place at the Goole project.
Rebecca has continued to support Paige with regular catch ups about her career and offering guidance on qualifications and mentoring.
“Paige has shown incredible drive since we first met over two years ago, when I supported her during her ROTL programme on one of our London projects. When Paige was released, it was important to ensure she had a strong network of support around her at such a pivotal time.
We were able to secure temporary work for her on construction sites close to where she had been rehoused, enabling her to balance this with her part-time studies. Paige self-funded her course, which is a testament to her commitment to building a career in construction and continuing her education.
Supporting Paige has been an absolute pleasure. Her determination and resilience stand out, and it has been an honour to watch her grow and develop into her new role with Willmott Dixon. I am incredibly proud that we were able to continue supporting her journey.”
Rebecca Davies, Social Value Manager, Willmott Dixon Interiors
“Paige has been absolutely fantastic during her tenure working for us. We were introduced to Paige by Willmott Dixon Interiors, as she had worked on their sites previously and performed well and she was relocating to a different area and was hoping to find work.
By connecting with multiple contacts across Willmott Dixon, we were able to identify and place Paige on a site in Goole, where she had relocated to. Paige was also keen to progress her career further by enrolling in an NVQ Level 3 Supervision course. The Willmott Dixon site team were more than happy to make provision for Paige to undertake work that supported her professional development, which ultimately led to her completing the course.
Since joining us, Paige has received consistently positive feedback. We have found her to be highly reliable, demonstrating an excellent work ethic. Paige is a pleasure to have on our books, and her success is a testament to her hard work.”
Sam Barlow, Account Manager & Social Value Lead, We Are Social Enterprise
“Paige has taken on a foreman role for us at Goole. She organises the labourers in daily tasks ensuring that site runs smoothly and organised.
Paige is a high energy self-starter who quickly assumes responsibility and is not afraid to face new challenges and situations. She quickly fitted in with all the workforce and our people at Goole and is a great asset to the team and is very keen on progressing. I’ve spoken with Paige at length regarding her next project and would happily have her on our next project, where we’ll be able to aid her continued development.”
James Ellis, Building Manager, Willmott Dixon