Chance for all, but females must first muscle in on male-dominated trades

Published on Sunday 12 February 2012 00:00

ONE of the best things about apprenticeships is that there is a determination to ensure they are open to everyone.

This doesn’t just mean making sure that they are available in subjects which might not be traditionally thought of as being fertile territory for apprentices. It also demands that men and women are treated equally and given every chance of embarking on their career of choice.

This policy has paid real dividends – but there is still some way to go in encouraging females to move into traditionally male- dominated areas of the economy, such as engineering.

There has been an overall increase in the number of apprenticeships in recent years, and in the proportion of female apprentices. However, a recent report published by the TUC in association with the women’s lobbying organisation YWCA, concludes: “That is not to say there is an army of young female apprentice engineers or plumbers out there. The expansion in apprenticeships has replicated traditional patterns of gender segregation.”

The study says that most female participation in apprenticeships has been driven by new courses being created in sectors where there is a large female workforce – retail and business administration, for example. This is rather than an influx of young women into traditionally better-paid and male- dominated apprenticeships.

Another issue is that while the number of women completing apprenticeships over the last few years has been encouraging, the percentage has begun to falter. In 2003, women accounted for more than half (51.1 per cent) of completed apprenticeships. By 2007, this had dropped to 45.2 per cent, although it rose again in 2008 to 47.5 per cent.

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