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News Release from: Equal Opportunities Commission | Subject: National Construction Week
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 October 2003
Building Girls' Interest In Construction
The number of events targeting young women during National Construction Week is an encouraging sign that the industry understands the challenge it faces to recruit more women into construction.
The number of events targeting young women during National Construction Week is an encouraging sign that the industry understands the urgency of the challenge it faces to recruit more women into construction, Julie Mellor, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said today The EOC is looking at the construction industry as part of its investigation into occupational segregation - the concentration of women and men in different types of jobs
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 30 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Julie Mellor said: "It's deeply worrying that women only account for 1% of people doing modern apprenticeships in construction.
Not only because it suggests that outdated ideas about 'women's work' and 'men's work' may be affecting some young people's choices, but also because it means the industry as a whole is missing out on the potential of half the population.
A sector with a severe shortage of skilled workers cannot afford to ignore this problem.
"I hope that events like the ones being run during National Construction Week will challenge more young women to think of construction as a real option for them." The EOC's investigation, which was launched in June, is focusing on modern apprenticeships in five sectors where there are serious skills shortages: construction, plumbing, engineering, ICT and childcare.
It has begun with two pieces of research, which will be published early in 2004: * A statistical overview of occupational segregation, skills gaps and pay gaps * A survey of all 47 Learning and Skills Councils, the funding organisations for Modern Apprenticeships, to identify how choice and equality are promoted by the system, including rates of pay.
In 2004 it will examine the effectiveness of current initiatives to challenge stereotyped choices and carry out qualitative research, including focus groups, with young people, employers and training providers.
The Commission also wants to hear about women and men's experiences of training or working in a sector dominated by the opposite sex and of making careers choices.
People who would like to feed their views and experiences into the investigation should write to: Anne Madden, Communications and Change, Equal Opportunities Commission, Arndale House, Manchester M4 3EQ, or e-mail anne.madden@eoc.org.uk.
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