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Amie the Roadworker
A job for the girls…
Teenager Amie Smith from Thurmaston is the only female road
worker in Leicestershire – and one of only a handful in the
country. The 17-year-old began working for Leicestershire County
Council in late August 2006 and, over the next two years, will
be studying at its training centre for NVQ Levels 1 & 2 in
Construction and Civil Engineering.
After leaving Wreake Valley Community College, she wasn’t sure
what she wanted to do, so went to Connexions for advice. She
said: “I fancied doing something a bit hands-on, as I am very
energetic and didn’t want to be sitting around all day but I
couldn’t find a suitable apprenticeship. At Connexions I saw the
advert for the Leicestershire County Council trainee road worker
scheme and it seemed like the kind of job for me.”
More than 160 people replied to the advert and Amie was one of
the lucky four selected for the two year NVQ, a course that has
now been running for 15 years.
Amie is happy being ‘one of the lads’ and the other new
trainees, Adam Bickerton, Craig Pollard and Daniel Warner, have
got used to their new colleague very quickly. “We’ve been doing
some block paving and Amie’s been getting stuck in,” said
Daniel, who is following in his dad’s footsteps as a
Leicestershire road worker, “I think the lads out on the roads
might get a bit of a shock though, as they probably won’t be
expecting a girl!”
Following basic training at the highways training centre, the
new trainees have been placed with a team of workers out on the
roads. Amie’s first assignment was in the National Forest –
laying the roads around a new youth hostel. All four will be
back at the centre for three days training every month to help
them with knowledge and practical skills.
Photo and article from
Leicestershire Business Issues: November 2006
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