Women in non-traditional training and employment

In June 2003, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) began an investigation into gender segregation, focusing on Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) and concentrating on five occupational sectors where there are skill shortages: construction, plumbing, engineering, information and communication technology (ICT) and childcare. This study was commissioned in December 2003 and reports on the perspectives of women in the UK who have succeeded in entering training or employment in the non-traditional sectors of plumbing, construction, engineering and ICT. The Women’s Training Network worked in partnership with the EOC on the research. The study aims to: understand the obstacles women have encountered in entering non-traditional training/employment; explore how they negotiated and managed those experiences; identify the factors that enabled them to succeed and what else would have helped; identify how more women can be enabled to enter non-traditional occupations and succeed; highlight good practice for women in non-traditional skills training/employment; and provide recommendations, which can be fed into the EOC investigation into occupational segregation. The focus group method was used to interview women who were either training in mainstream environments, training in women-only environments, or employed and self-employed in the construction sector. Participants aged between 20 and 50 years old were chosen from venues in London, the South East, Yorkshire and Wales. The research demonstrates that those women who have succeeded in non-traditional skill areas are particularly resilient and determined. It is unrealistic to expect that numbers will significantly increase unless changes are instituted. It is recommended that particular attention and positive action is required to meet the needs of women entering training and employment and that a national policy is developed in collaboration between major organisations and stakeholders. Show less