Member Article

Dorset Site Manager and first female tank driver begins housebuilder’s ‘A Day in the Life’ series

Barratt Homes has launched a new ‘Day in the Life’ video series, celebrating its incredible workforce, and the first episode is shining a light on Assistant Site Manager and ex-servicewoman, Victoria Grinnall.

Victoria, 27, worked in the military as an Armoured Engineer for six years and is now an Assistant Site Manager at Barratt’s Quarter Jack Park development in Wimborne. The very first female in the Army to drive Titan and Trojan armoured vehicles, the talented individual joined the leading housebuilder via its Armed Forces Transition Programme in March 2021.

In the developer’s new video series, the ex-forces worker talks about her decision to work with Barratt, the application process and how her experience in the army helped her in her new construction role.

She said: “The reason I joined the army was because I couldn’t see myself working at a desk all day – I needed to be on my feet, doing things that challenged me.

“After leaving the forces, Barratt’s Armed Forces Transition Programme was the perfect way for me to get back into work. And, although I hadn’t worked in construction before, I knew I had a lot of transferable skills to offer – time management being one of them.”

Victoria has been working at Quarter Jack Park for two years now. She speaks about what’s entailed in her position as she works with the development’s Site Manager to ensure all new homes are built on time and to budget.

She added: “My role is extremely varied. I deal with queries from customers and suppliers daily. There is a lot of problem-solving involved – something that my time in the army has definitely helped with.”

The ex Armoured Engineer also talks about the stigma that still surrounds women working in construction. Although used to working in a male-dominated environment, Victoria is also pleased to have the support from Barratt Homes if she needs it.

She continued: “It’s fantastic that companies like Barratt Homes are positively encouraging more women to join the business, and personally, I always know there is somewhere I can go if I have any concerns.”

Victoria goes on to highlight the need to look out for her colleagues when it comes to mental health. The construction industry has a poor record when it comes to mental wellbeing – harrowing statistics reveal two people working in construction in the UK die by suicide every working day, and a third of construction workers suffer from elevated anxiety. Victoria says a simple ‘are you ok?’ goes a long way.

She said: “I always make sure I check in with my colleagues just in case they are struggling, and they do the same for me. Barratt are also very good at providing the support if we need it.”

Tammy Bishop, Barratt Homes Sales Director, Southampton Division, said she’s delighted to launch the new ‘Day in the Life’ series, and is pleased to see Victoria Grinnall in the first episode.

She said: “We have a team of incredible employees, from all different backgrounds, working at our sites across the region, and it’s great that we can hear from them in this brand-new series. It’s also wonderful to see Victoria sharing her story in this very first episode.”

Barratt Homes is a proud supporter of the Armed Forces and its Armed Forces Transition Programme gives ex-forces personnel the opportunity to become an Assistant Site Manager.

*Source: https://www.matesinmind.org/news/mental-health-in-uk-construction-the-statistics

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barratt Homes .