Meet the Women at Homes England
Women In Construction UK Magazine, were interested to find out more about the women working at Homes England and gain insight into their routes into the industry and their role within the agency. As the government’s housing accelerator, Homes England is a market-focused agency with a talented team working across land, investment and market interventions across England. As a result the agency draws its workforce from a number of fields including investment bankers, land and real estate experts, planners and surveyors and competes directly with the commercial market for talent. Tamsin Hart Jones, Senior Specialist. Tamsin is a spare time Hollywood history geek and lover of American road trips. I always wanted a job where I could make a difference on the ground. My career has completely evolved with Homes England, from being a Graduate Trainee with a predecessor organisation to where I am now, a Senior Specialist in our Land team. I’m technically a planner, but working at Homes England has really stretched my skill set and I’m involved in many areas of work across our organisation. I’ve had incredible opportunities to work on complex projects that have made a real difference, including leading on the planning and development of one of the most contaminated sites in Western Europe, The Avenue Coking Works near Chesterfield, and most recently leading on York Central, a site with the potential to deliver 2,500 homes in a place with serious affordability and housing supply challenges, York City Centre. It’s a bit of a cliché but no two days are the
same at York Central. We’ve bought land and worked collaboratively with partners at the Council, Network Rail and the Railway Museum to develop proposals for the site, get outline planning approval and fund the early infrastructure to get into the site. For the past year and a half I’ve been seconded to the York Central Partnership to lead on the project for all the partner organisations. I’ve been leading on creating a partnership, making sure we stay on track with our challenging timescales and engagement with the community, stakeholders and potential investors and occupiers. At Homes England one of our core values is diversity and it’s so important to me that we’re serious about ensuring that in everything we do. The construction industry has to change to address the skills challenge it faces, and I believe diversifying and encouraging more women into the industry is critical to this, as well as encouraging other underrepresented groups. Construction has such wide and varied opportunities and it’s incredibly satisfying to see your hard work realised in bricks and mortar. Eleanor Kinsella, Apprentice Chartered Surveyor Ellie, aged 20, is a gig and festival enthusiast. I joined Homes England last September as an Apprentice Chartered Surveyor and attend Birmingham City University one day a week where I’m studying valuations, estate management, relationship management and residential development. I had secured a place at the University of Sheffield, but the benefits of an apprenticeship far outweighed the draw of the university lifestyle. Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly well recognised route into the construction industry at a higher education level and I am able to complete my degree debt free, with the added benefit of being surrounded by professionals who are all willing to pass on their expertise.
Tamsin Hart Jones
I’m also earning while I’m learning, but at a less intensive level. After continuous exams over the last four years, to have the
08 Women in Construction UK Magazine - June 2019
Eleanor Kinsella opportunity to work alongside studying is a refreshing balance, whilst the work routine develops my work ethic and discipline. Homes England offers a unique opportunity to work with companies across the industry and provides such a variety of work to get involved in. There is also a moral purpose behind the work that is undertaken here, and I find that very motivating. As a young person, I know my generation will feel the pressures of our national housing shortage, so I’m glad to be playing my part in tackling the housing crisis. My family have always been very encouraging of my career choices and as a result I have never felt that any opportunities are off limits due to my gender. However, industry perception definitely acts as a barrier to some women and the industry is unmistakeably very male orientated. On my university course for example, there are only four girls in a class of 30. Engaging with young people much earlier in their career decision making process through school and career fairs would provide an opportunity to highlight careers in construction to girls considering their options and eradicate any misconceptions of the industry. Lucy Blasdale, Head of Land in the Midlands Lucy lives in South Shropshire with her