Plumbing the gender gap in Mid and West Wales construction skills

Three quarters of working Welsh women in ‘the five Cs’ – cleaning, catering, caring, cashiering and clerical

Women across Mid and West Wales have a new tool to do the job of getting into construction. Local AM Joyce Watson has set up a women and technology e-forum for women in Mid and West Wales - http://www.womeninconstruction.co.uk/ .

She will launch it today (Monday 2nd November 2009) with staff and students at Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire, then at Pembrokeshire College, then with colleagues at the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay on Wednesday 4th.

JOYCE WATSON AM said:

“Around three quarters of working women in Wales are still found in just five occupations; ‘the five c' s’ – cleaning, catering, caring, cashiering and clerical.

“Despite more than 30 years of equality legislation, gender still plays a big part when it comes to the career choices people make. And while progressively more women have moved into professions like law, medicine and accountancy, there has been no similar movement into engineering, ICT and the skilled trades – the proportion of women working in construction is just 1%, for example.

“I hope the Women in Construction interactive website will be a useful tool for women considering starting a career in construction, and for those who want to share their experiences.

“Construction trades are not necessarily the first choice for many young women and this e-forum is aimed at providing information about local facilities, with links to local colleges and other support for young females looking to enter the construction industry. This will be a forum to share tips and views.

“You may wonder why a politician is so involved in this. The reason is because I am excited by the chances that construction offers women as a career choice. With a degree of flexibility that will suit women who want to juggle their work–life balance, increase their earning capacity and the availability of new training programmes designed and aimed at women in construction, the timing seems right for this e-forum to be launched.

“As we look to rebuild the economy, it is more important than ever that we invest in skills and provide people with a real opportunity to enter training and work, and challenge the entrenched gender bias that still exists in some sectors.

“I went back to education at Pembrokeshire College as a young mum, and the support they gave me while bringing up my young family helped me to go on to get my degree and eventually become a Welsh Assembly Member.

“When I was elected I decided I would help someone else get a second chance to return to learning, by offering a £1,000 bursary towards the cost of studying at Pembrokeshire College. It is open to anyone who had started a course at the college and was over 21.

“Last year's winner was a remarkable young mother-of-three, Amie Grover from Fishguard, who is training to be a plumber on an Open College Network plumbing course at Pembrokeshire College. Single mum Amie, who has three boys under seven, left school at 16 and worked at a supermarket before her children were born, then concentrated on bringing up her boys. Amie chose plumbing because she is good at DIY and hopes this career will make her family financially stable.

“In my work as an Assembly Member I visit lots of projects around Mid and West Wales and last year I met Rose Phillips of Gower, who is learning her plumbing skills at Coleg Sir Gar in Carmarthenshire. Rose is another bright young woman who has impressed everyone on her apprenticeship with Sainsbury Building Service Engineers.

“I brought both of them, their tutors, and Rose's employers to the Assembly to meet Lifelong Learning Minister Jane Hutt. We had an excellent discussion about the work Coleg Sir Gar and Pembrokeshire College were doing, about what employers want from their apprentices, what Amie and Rose wanted from their courses, and what the other Welsh colleges do, and that's where the idea for this e-forum came about.

“Swansea College, Coleg Powys, Coleg Ceredigion and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor quickly got involved, swapping ideas and sharing information about how best to support people coming into the industry.

“From there it grew, with Chwarae Teg, Construction Skills, Construction Youth Trust (CYT) all enthusiastically joining the project.

“This is a forum for all concerned in any aspect of the construction industry, as well as those wishing to join. It will be a focal point for people to share their ideas, ambitions, stories, experiences and generally keep in touch with others.

“I am certain that this is only the beginning, and I hope that this forum will build itself through its members and benefit everyone who goes on to use it.”

Ends

For further details contact Joyce Watson’s office on 029 20898972.

Further Information

Monday 2nd November

9-10am Lifelong Learning and Skills Minister JANE HUTT, launches the Mid and West Wales Women in Construction forum at Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire

12-1pm Joyce Watson AM, Mid and West Wales, launches the forum at Pembrokeshire College

Wednesday 4th November

12.30 – 1.30pm, Joyce Watson AM launches the forum at Media Room, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay
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