Women in construction: Kayleigh Bentley, Nottingham City Homes

Kayleigh Bentley is a Programme Manager at Nottingham City Homes responsible for managing funded retrofit projects, including Destination Zero. She explains why she wanted a job with purpose, and shares the essential skills for making retrofit projects a success.

How did you get into the sector?

I’m a trained engineer by trade and have been working in the aerospace sector since I was 16. I ended up as a programme manager, liaising between aerospace companies and the government. This involved strategic programme management, as well as being involved with a skills initiative that was getting more people into the aerospace sector, including women.

Then the pandemic hit, no-one was flying anymore and unfortunately, I was made redundant. But I was enjoying programme management and had got a taste for getting involved with things that had a ‘purpose.’ I wanted to help improve the world and make David Attenborough proud!

And that led to your current role?

When I saw the job at Nottingham City Homes to help retrofit and decarbonise homes, I realised that my skillset really fitted. The one thing I didn’t have was the knowledge of the sector, so I did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions. I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the topic before I even applied.

It can be frustrating working in this sector but it’s frustrating for all the right reasons because we are trying to achieve a carbon-neutral world and we are trying to do the best for our tenants.

What do your job involve and what skills do you need to make it a success?

It depends on what day you ask me — today was meetings and reporting. Overall, it’s understanding the set milestones of a project and gathering information from different parties, comparing what’s happening to what is meant to be happening.

This means I have bird’s eye view of all the projects, as well as knowing the ins-and-outs of the detail so I can spot challenges and gaps. I’ll then share this information with the right people in the right format, flagging issues and problem solving along the way. It requires taking a long-term view to futureproof projects — thinking ‘we are here. What needs to happen to get us to there?’

I need to create good relationships with people and work with them to understand the project needs from a funder perspective and a delivery perspective, which often requires patience and compromise.

Why are projects like Destination Zero important to social housing?

We’re learning how to achieve the performance we need for a carbon-neutral future and how to effectively engage with tenants. Of course, there have been challenges and we need to do a lot more, but these pilot schemes are setting the scene for the next generation of projects — helping them become even more successful.

What needs to happen to make more retrofit projects a reality?

There’s a lot of work to be done on the supply chain so we don’t have all our eggs in one basket. For example, there’s a real need for panel manufacturers — we’ve had several contractors go bust or nearly bust.

Eventually, deep retrofit will be picked up by all local authorities in the UK and this won’t be successful unless there is a strong supply chain that can deliver the products needed.

We also need to develop strong teams of people who understand retrofit and the challenges that come with it. A project manager who hasn’t been in the thick of it will find it hard to proactively fix problems in complex retrofit schemes. It can be a challenge, even for experienced teams.

What would be your advice to those project managers?

Keep reminding yourself of the bigger picture because things will be frustrating, and you’ll face a lot of challenges! But what you’re doing is so good for the planet. You can tackle these challenges with a strong project team and a strong supply chain (and maybe a strong gin in the cupboard).

Would you say anything specific to young people, especially women, thinking about joining the sector?

Don’t be put off because this sector needs women. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or be able to carry 50 bricks at once — there’s a whole range of diverse skills that the sector needs to be successful.

We need people with strong organisational skills who can see things logically in their heads and I think women are very good at this! In my experience, the men in the sector are fantastic to work with, sharing their expertise and offering help when it’s needed.

I’ve noticed that younger generations are all about fulfilling a purpose, it’s not just about having a job and making money. You will find true purpose working in sustainability. You can go home to your parents or grandparents and say, ‘Hi Granddad, I am saving the planet.”

Destination Zero is led by Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham City Council and Energiesprong UK. It’s funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.