CITY West Housing Trust is celebrating after scooping a gong at this year’s Women in Construction Awards for its innovative approach to recruiting women into the industry.

During the ceremony, which took place yesterday (March 11), the Skills Training Programme run by City West Works, the Salford-based housing association’s skills and training centre, picked up the award for the Most Innovative Development Programme.

City West Works opened its doors to trainees in August 2009. In just six months the City West Works’ Skills Training Programme has changed the lives of 60 local people. For most recruits, the programme has resulted in sustainable full-time employment - replacing lives filled with financial and career uncertainty, unemployment and Job Seekers Allowance.

From the beginning one of the objectives of the programme has been to address the underrepresentation of women within the construction sector.

Ivy Hughes, Skills and Development Manager for City West Works, said: “We set some very clear targets to help local women take the first steps into construction. At least 25% of all the new jobs we help create will be for women. With our investment in Salford that will mean around 87 jobs by 2013.

“Winning this award is a fantastic result and testament to the success of the Skills Training Programme. In the first six months, we exceeded our targets, creating 19 jobs for women – a staggering 31% of all new jobs. These women are working in a range of jobs from plumbers and electricians to quantity surveyors and tenant liaison officers.”

City West altered its approach to recruitment in a bid to attract women to the Skills Training Programme with spectacular results. The team, in partnership with Working Links, Job Centre Plus and Salford City College, promoted and ran a “women only” recruitment day – targeted specifically at women interested in carving out careers in construction. The day resulted in 52 applications for the trainee roles on offer – an increase of more than 650%.

The successful trainees have gone on to gain employment with the Trust’s contract partners who are working with the housing association to deliver a £235 million improvement programme to the social landlord’s 14,600 home in West Salford.

Vikki Mangan, a trainee who went through the Skills Training Programme, was highly commended on the night in the Best Apprentice/New Start Under 25 category. Prior to joining the Skills Training Programme, Vikki, 23, from Salford, spent 18 months trying to land her dream job as a plumber. She now works for PH Jones as a trainee plumber.

The annual awards ceremony took place at The Palace Hotel in Manchester, to honour women’s achievements in a traditionally male-dominated industry. It took place in the same week as International Women’s Day (March 8), which marks a day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Heralding the achievements of women working in the construction sector, the Trust’s Director of Asset Management Collette McKune addressed the audience as a guest speaker. Colette shared her career highlights, expressing her passion to social housing and the difference the Trust has made to the lives of so many.

City West Housing Trust decided to enter the awards to showcase the tremendous talent of their female workforce, to breakdown traditional stereotypes and to encourage more women to apply for jobs in the construction industry.

On winning the awards, Colette McKune said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been presented with this award in recognition of the work City West Works has been doing to attract women to work in the sector.”