Toni's journey from ex offender to steel worker

As part of CITB’s Onsite Experience Hub programme in England, £9.2m of funding was approved to enable over 7,900 people to become employment and site-ready and at least 4,100 people to secure sustained employment between 2021 and 2025.

Onsite Experience hubs are designed to provide a one-stop recruitment solution for construction employers, giving well suited candidates experience on construction sites and the necessary entry-level training and health & safety credentials. Procure Plus have been delivering the Onsite Experience hub in Lacnashire and surrounding areas since 2021.

In partnership with the North West Construction Hub, and Willmott Dixon, they supported subcontractor, Mayo Civils to recruit Toni, who has become the first female steel fixer to start with Mayo since it was founded!

After her first week, Mayo Civils fed back to Procure Plus that Toni was a delight to work with and is going to go far, as she is progressing quicker than expected. Ray Flemming, MD at Mayo Civils said: “Toni is the first female steel fixer I have worked with in the UK since 1978, it is a fantastic result”.

Toni's story

My name is Toni Butcher, and I am the first female steel fixer at my firm since it was founded in 1978. I also happen to be an ex-offender.

In a society where the value of a person is often determined by the mistakes of your past, being labelled an ‘ex-offender’ often feels like carrying a heavy burden, as if society has already decided that you are beyond redemption.

Growing up in Blackpool with separated parents, my childhood wasn’t a stable one. Spending half my time under the care of an alcoholic and drug addict, I was deprived of positive role models. Yet, being a child, I was unaware of the impact this environment would have on my future.

My father’s influence and the circle he surrounded himself with left a lasting mark on my formative years. Fast forward to 2021 and I was in prison thanks to drugs and the circle of people I had surrounded myself with.

However, it was within the walls of Styal prison that I was given the opportunity for a new start, thanks to the support of Procure Plus, a not-for-profit social housing procurement company that channels its profits into helping those most distant from the labour market.

Procure Plus had been collaborating with Styal for several years to establish pathways into construction, which were previously unavailable within the prison. This was of interest to me so through the North West Construction Hub, an alternative future was offered to me and I eagerly enrolled in an introduction to construction course. I completed my Construction Skills Certification Scheme training and received my Green Labourer card, which opened doors to job placements outside prison.

Thanks to funding from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), I was connected with several employers for on-site training, ultimately securing an interview with Mayo Civils, a subcontractor of Willmott Dixon.

I was successful in the interview and broke new ground as the first female steel fixer in the company’s history.

My journey since then has been a whirlwind, and despite the initial challenges of being the only woman on the team (think, no female facilities on sites), I’ve received unwavering support from my coworkers. Their acceptance and encouragement have empowered me to thrive in my role, proving that gender is no barrier to success in this field. And neither is my past.

I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, but my journey doesn’t end here. I am determined to pave the way for more women to enter and excel in trades. I hope to inspire other women to pursue opportunities in construction and other traditionally male-dominated industries.

Despite the challenges I’ve faced and the mistakes I’ve made, I am not defined solely by my past. I am defined by my present achievements and all the possibilities of the future. Such is the transformative power of second chances.