This week, five Balfour Beatty apprentices joined HRH The Princess Royal to officially open the doors for ‘Women in Science, Technology and Engineering’ (WISE) new offices. HRH has been a Royal Patron of WISE since 2000.
Balfour Beatty has been a partner of WISE since 2015, supporting their work to inspire women and girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics as a pathway to an exciting and fulfilling career.
HRH The Princess Royal, accompanied a tour of the new facilities located in the brand new Hunslet campus at Leeds College of Building, the UK’s only specialist building and construction College, before unveiling a commemorative plaque.
Five of Balfour Beatty’s female apprentices currently studying Construction and the Built Environment at Leeds College of Building were delighted to attend the celebrations and meet HRH The Princess Royal.
Katie Louise Davies, one of the Balfour Beatty apprentices who met HRH said;
“It was an amazing opportunity to have met HRH The Princess Royal and I am touched at her support to this industry as a patron to WISE and in encouraging more women to join the industry. I love working in the built environment sector, every day is always different and it gives me such satisfaction to be part of great projects that make such a difference to everyday lives.”
Balfour Beatty is a member of The 5% Club, a UK industry-led initiative focused on creating momentum behind the recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the workforce.
ENDS
Media enquiries to:
Am Golhar
Balfour Beatty
t: +44 (0)207 963 2150
m: +44 (0) 75 8306 9445
e:am.golhar@balfourbeatty.com
www.balfourbeatty.com | follow us @balfourbeatty
Notes to editors:
Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 36,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
Our main geographies are the UK, US, Middle East and South East Asia. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the world’s biggest shopping mall in Dubai, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
Balfour Beatty has been a member of ‘The 5% Club’, a UK industry-led initiative focused on creating momentum behind the recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the workforce, since December 2013.
The company was the first infrastructure company to join The 5% Club and as a member is committed to ensuring that, at least 5% of its workforce consist of Apprentices, Graduates and Sponsored Students within five years.
Balfour Beatty Chief Executive Leo Quinn was the founding member of The 5% Club
About WISE
WISE is a not-for- profit membership organisation which supports 3000+ individuals and 120+ corporate, institutional and educational members to inspire women and girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics as a pathway to exciting and fulfilling careers. WISE provides expert advice to employers on how to attract, retain and develop female talent to improve business performance. www.wisecampaign.org.uk
Image: HRH The Princess Royal greeting Balfour Beatty female apprentices Sophie Wilson, Megan Shannon and Rebecca Drysdale along with Sarah Sunderland and Stewart Whiteley from Leeds College of Building
