A local authority with two women at the helm is marking International Women’s Day and celebrating the achievements of women across the globe.

Dudley Council’s deputy leader, Judy Foster, and chief executive, Sarah Norman, reflected on and celebrated the achievements of women and girls from across Dudley borough, ahead of today’s #BalanceForBetter themed day.

They met with two women who have careers in construction and surveying with Dudley Council, Charlotte Edmunds and Lorraine Carter. They are two out of thousands of women who have forged successful careers with the authority, many in areas that are often male dominated such as horticulture, construction, planning and environment.

The four women discussed some of the challenges and opportunities experienced by women in today’s workplace and each wrote down one key idea for how they can create a more gender balanced authority. They also talked about the important role of apprenticeships in creating opportunities for women to work and train.

National Apprenticeship Week runs from 4th to 8th March and Dudley Council currently employs 178 apprentices - 109 of which are women.

Charlotte Edmunds from Kingswinford started out as an admin assistant in building services at the council prior to taking up her trainee surveyor role in 2016. The 26 year old was attracted to the opportunity to study while being in work full time. She plans to become a quantity surveyor in the future and is currently studying for a degree apprenticeship in chartered surveying.

Lorraine Carter, who lives in Wollaston, has worked for Dudley Council for 25 years. She started her career with the council as a technical officer and retrained in her 40s after successfully applying for a surveying post. She was sponsored by Dudley Council to complete a BSC Honours in commercial management and quantity surveying and is now a quantity surveyor and project manager. Councillor Judy Foster, deputy leader of Dudley Council said:

"I have seen first-hand how societal expectations and opportunities can sometimes close doors to women and girls. We have a shared responsibility to create a more gender-balanced world and I am proud to represent a council that has so many successful women in both senior and typically male dominated roles.

"It was a pleasure to meet with Charlotte and Lorraine today, they are reminder of the talent and ambition we have in women in Dudley borough and the hope for a future that contains truly equal opportunities for all.”

For more information about careers and opportunities with Dudley Council and apprenticeships in Dudley borough people can visit dudley.gov.uk.