As part of our interview series celebrating women in construction, we sat down with one of our youngest members, Camille Dring. Having joined Unita as a building cadet almost 3 years ago, Camille is one of our brightest stars, becoming an indispensable member of our estimation team and undoubtedly has the all makings of a future industry leader.

What is your job title?

Cadet Estimator

What are your role responsibilities? 

As a Cadet Estimator, my role includes managing the estimation build tender process for the fit-out of commercial projects including retail, medical, hospitality and health and leisure construction projects. Some of my day-to-day responsibilities include cost planning, value management, tender management, as well as compiling tender proposals.

What led you to construction? 

I began my career in Interior Design however, I felt more aligned with the construction aspect of the projects I was working alongside which eventually led me to shift my career from Interiors to Construction.

What is your favourite part of your job? 

My favourite part of my job is being able to work on such a diverse range of projects, whilst having the opportunity to continually develop my skillset whilst I carry out my studies.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far? 

Being able to be a part of and work on some large-scale commercial projects has been one of the highlights of my career so far as it has challenged me and made me grow.

What are the barriers of being a women in construction? 

Construction is often associated with labour and movement, especially on construction sites. Women can often be ostracised or be viewed as less capable because of their sex, which I think is something that has shifted over past couple of years. I think the balance of women vs men in the industry is slowly pivoting which is great to see.

What do you think is the solution to attracting more women into the construction industry? 

I think creating a welcoming working environment as well as encouraging training, apprenticeships and mentoring women is one part of the solution to attracting more women into the construction industry.

If there was one piece of advice that you could pass onto a woman starting in construction, what would it be?  

I would say to women starting in the industry don’t let anyone deter you from anything that you are passionate about, sometimes we can be our own worst critic.