You can DIY for a living
Places are limited. Applications are not guaranteed.
FUNDED BY
This course — the Carpentry & Handywomen Skills Bootcamp — is delivered as part of Surrey County Council’s Skills Bootcamps programme, funded by the Department for Education. Free to eligible Surrey residents aged 19+ with the right to work in the UK.
Free
Funded by the Department for Education
14 weeks
Online and in-person
Limited places
Application and interview required
- SOUND FAMILIAR?
You'll recognise yourself in at least one of these
- You've been in the middle of fixing something and realised, I actually really love doing this
- You've watched a tradesperson do a job and thought, I could do that
- You want to work for yourself but you don't know where to start or whether it's realistic
- You've never thought of yourself as someone who runs a business, but you've never quite let go of the idea either
- THE DEMAND IS REAL
There is a gap in the market
Surrey County Council’s Skills Bootcamps programme is investing in women like you, not as a gesture, but as a strategic response to a genuine skills shortage in the county.
Through funding from the Department for Education, DIY Her Way has been selected by Surrey County Council to help address the shortage of skilled trades in Surrey. This course is fully funded as part of that commitment.
Just 2% of skilled trade workers in the UK are female. That’s not a diversity statistic, it’s a commercial opportunity.
Demand for tradeswomen is outstripping supply. Women are turning down work because word of mouth alone is filling their books. TaskHer, an online directory of tradeswomen, saw a 208% rise in inquiries in just two years, while cutting their marketing budget.*
The reasons are real. Women feel safer having a tradeswoman in their home. Organisations working with vulnerable people actively seek them out. Domestic abuse refuges, care homes, single women living alone, there is a client base that specifically wants you.
If you’re good with your hands, reliable and ready to learn, there is work waiting for you.
Tradeswomen have said they are inundated with requests from customers who feel safer with women working in their home. Demand for their services often outstrips supply, as just 2% of skilled trade workers in the UK are female.
Formerly a bomb disposal expert in the Army, Sarah Leslie made the decision to start her own handywoman business in lockdown. As business boomed, she realised she could save her customers money and help them be more self-sufficient.
Female electrician Erin has been working with Refuge for the past few months. She said taking on the job was a no-brainer as it is rewarding to be able to put her skills to good use in a scenario where a tradesman might cause apprehension.
How the programme works
A 14-week structured pathway from complete beginner to confident working carpenters & handywoman, with six months of support after to help you actually start earning.
Online | Safety and foundations | 5 October 2026
Self-paced online modules you complete at home in your own time. Short guides covering tool safety, PPE, manual handling, electrical and water isolation awareness, risk assessment and materials basics. Complete a short quiz at the end of each module. Everything needs to be finished before the in-person weekends begin.
In-person | Practical workshop | 17–18 and 30–31 October 2026
Four full days across two weekends at our workshop in Surrey. Two trainers throughout — both demonstrating, both circulating, both available for one-to-one support. In the week between the two weekends, we meet for online group training to consolidate what you’ve covered and prepare for weekend two.
Across the four days, you’ll cover:
- Drilling, fixings and wall mounting across every wall type
- Carpentry: measuring, cutting, sanding, joining timber and building a wooden raised planter from scratch
- Surface preparation, painting, staining and spray finishing
- Tiling, grouting and silicone sealing
- Household emergencies: water, electricity and gas isolation
- Working safely and tidily in clients’ homes
- A final competency check across everything covered
Online | Getting paid as a handywoman | 4 November 2026
A live Zoom session co-delivered with Shopify. This is where we close the gap between learning the skills and getting paid for them. Covers setting up as a sole trader, registering with HMRC, pricing and quoting accurately, invoicing, customer communication and setting up a simple website or Shopify storefront. By the end, you’ll have a usable invoice template, a pricing approach and a starting point for your online presence.
In-person | Check-in and refresher day | 15 January 2027
The cohort comes back together ten weeks after the business session. Bring your questions and challenges from early paid work. Refresh any skills that need further development. Reconnect with your peer network. Both trainers will be in the room.
Ongoing | Wraparound support | October 2026 to April 2027
Six months of structured support running alongside and after the formal training — designed to help you start earning sustainably.
Months one to three — intensive support:
- A tutor attends your first paid job on-site to coach you through it
- Regular check-ins
- A moderated community for live job questions
- One-to-one help with pricing and quoting
Months four to six — as your confidence grows:
- Monthly check-ins
- Continued community access
- Monthly newsletter with vacancies and opportunities
- Access to a UK-wide network of 800+ women in trades
What you'll come away with
- Practical skills mapped to Level 2 Construction Operations standard
- A wooden raised planter you've built yourself
- A complete toolkit of skills you can charge for from day one
- A guaranteed interview opportunity with our employer partner Surrey Build
- A peer network of women you've trained alongside
- Lifetime access to the DIY Her Way graduate community
Learn from the people that do this for real
Becky Russell
Becky picked up her first power tool a few years ago in her late 30’s. Since then she’s built a 190,000-strong following by sharing her DIY journey honestly — the mistakes, the wins and everything in between. She teaches the way she learned: by doing. And DIY Her Way is where that passion moves off the screen and into the room with you.
Emma Daley
Emma was the kind of person who rebuilt a hi-fi unit as a teenager and asked for a drill for her 21st birthday. Carpentry is her speciality and wood is her material of choice. Over the years she’s tackled countless DIY and carpentry projects with the confidence to just get stuck in. We think you’ll understand why we chose her when you meet her.
- APPLYING
How the application works
This course is delivered as part of Surrey County Council’s Skills Bootcamps programme, funded by the Department for Education. That means the cost to you is nothing, but it also means not every applicant will be offered a place.
Every application is reviewed carefully. We’re looking for women who are committed to starting paid work with tools at the end of the programme – whether that’s self-employed, employed locally or somewhere in between.
All applicants go through a short interview with Becky before a place is confirmed. What matters most is your intention and your commitment.
We encourage participants to have completed the Intro to DIY or Confidence Course first, but it’s not a requirement. Complete beginners are welcome.
If you’re serious about this, we want to hear from you.
Not quite ready or just missed out?
We’re planning a second cohort in November 2026. Add your name to the waiting list and you’ll hear about it before anyone else.
- FAQS
Common questions
Is the programme really free?
Yes, completely. The Carpentry & Handywomen Skills Bootcamp is delivered through Surrey County Council’s Skills Bootcamps – funded by the Department for Education. Eligible learners pay nothing to take part at any stage.
Am I eligible?
The programme is free to Surrey residents aged 19 or over with the right to work in the UK. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out.
Do I need any experience?
None at all. Complete beginners are welcome. The only requirement is that you intend to start working with tools at the end of the programme.
What does the interview involve?
A short one-to-one conversation with Becky, usually by phone or video. There are no trick questions. We want to understand why you want to do this, what your situation looks like and whether the timing works for you. It’s as much a chance for you to ask questions as it is for us to understand you.