Background
Simona has been working as a traffic marshall for the past four years and was previously employed as a site cleaner. When joining MoU, she wanted to upgrade her traffic marshall ticket with additional qualifications to increase her salary and demonstrate that she could study and learn new skills.

Barriers
English is Simona’s second language, and she does not know the English education system very well and therefore was not aware of how to progress via, e.g. an apprenticeship. Being on-site all hours of the day also made it more difficult for her to research career pathways and meet people to practise English.

Intervention
After taking part in the MoU CPD Six Steps Career Success workshops over six months in 2020 and being mentored through MOU, Simona felt she understood better how to expand her skills set in the construction industry. She was glad that she was offered this opportunity as it enabled her to make new contacts and understand the situation for women working in construction better.

With the help of her mentor, she identified that gaining a CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) certificate would help her in her aspiration to progress within the company. A great addition to her CV.

Key Outcomes
Simona completed her SSSTS certificate in December 2020 as part of the MoU training offer. She also embarked on First Aid at Work Level 3 training. Both interventions have now put her in a good position to be considered for a promotion.

Personal impact and testimony
Simona says: “ I am happy that I completed my SSSTS and First Aid with the support of the MoU programme. I want to thank the WiC team for their patience and understanding, and for helping me to believe in myself and for encouraging me to increase my confidence. Thank you.”

“ Since the MoU course I feel more confident to speak to my supervisor about a payrise or change of role; and hope to be considered soon.”

For details on our next Moving on Up programme, visit our MOU page.