A HARD hat and Wellington boots may not scream glamour but the traditionally male-dominated construction industry has quietly been building its attraction for career-minded females.

There are a whole host of reasons why women are changing their perspective when it comes to construction-related careers. With the current shortage of skilled workers, traditional tradespeople such as bricklayers, joiners, plumbers, electricians, painters and decorators are increasingly in demand and many of these roles offer excellent salaries.

But it's not only the female employees and potential employees' attitudes which are evolving, but also the employers'.

The UK's second-largest housebuilder, Persimmon Homes, is encouraging more women to consider the industry.

Three women who work for the South Coast branch of the company - currently building at developments in North Warnborough, Andover, Southampton, Newport on the Isle of Wight, Blandford Forum, Lee-on-the-Solent, Newhaven, Bournemouth and Eastbourne - are living proof that a woman's place could be switching from being in the home to actually building it.

Naomi Salder is 21 and is employed as an assistant quantity surveyor at Persimmon's Cherque Farm development in Lee-on-the-Solent. Her role involves managing budgets and putting together tender packages and letting contracts for the site.

She said: "I knew I wanted to follow a career in construction but I just wasn't sure which aspect. So when I left school I got involved in a summer school project run by Eastleigh College. This involved forming a project team to design and build a recreation centre for young people in Eastleigh.

"During this project I met Alan Warman, an architect, who suggested I do a GNVQ in construction and the built environment (advanced) at the college."

Naomi is now two years into a BSc Honours construction degree course.

She continued: "I do occasionally feel that women have more to prove and have to outperform their male counterparts in order to achieve acceptance. But as long as you can give as good as you get, then it's not a problem."

German-born Petri Koch is an assistant bricklayer at Persimmon's Colvin Court development in Andover. Thirty-seven-year-old Petri lives in Southampton and has been in the UK for two years.

She said: "Coming from another country to the UK makes it very difficult to find work and there can be little choice. I originally got involved with the construction industry because demand was high, and now I absolutely love it."

Petri is involved in a full range of physical tasks and being the only woman on site has never caused her any problems.

She continued: "Of course, attitudes do vary but I have never had any problems. There are certain parts of my job which I can't do as a woman, such as the heavier work. However, the men simply help out as and when needed."

Although not actually based on site, 33-year-old Tracey Lee has gained a good insight into the role of women within house building, due to her role as sales manager. She is responsible for overseeing the sales at all 15 developments across the Persimmon South Coast region.

She said: "I know stereotypes exist but I have never come across any prejudice against women, des-pite the fact that they really are still quite rare on the construction side.

"I came from a secretarial background and had no knowledge of how houses are built, but I have now spent a lot of time at our various developments which has provided me with a huge insight into the industry."

As these women demonstrate, building and selling a house is a varied industry, so if you fancy swapping your suit jacket for a fluorescent one, call Persimmon on 01329 514300 or visit www.persimmonhomes.com