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This paper argues that there is a continuing need for close monitoring of gender segregation in both the English labour market and in vocational education and training (VET) programmes. There is a new two-fold urgency for doing so in relation to the prospects facing young women. First, all young people in school in 2013 will be required to continue their participation in some form of government recognised education and/or training until they are 17 instead of the current age of 16. From 2015, this new 'participation age' will rise to 18. The numbers of young people remaining in full-time education from the age of 16 have been stuck under 70 per cent since the mid-1990s. Latest data show the figure in 2012 was 67.7 per cent. Young women are under-represented in work-based programmes and over-represented in full-time education compared with young men. To increase participation overall and meet the Raising the Participation Age (RPA) requirement, the numbers of males and females in both full-time education and work-based programmes (including apprenticeship) need to increase. Yet, as this paper indicates, young women are still far less likely than young men to access the best apprenticeships. Despite some reduction in the size of the gender imbalance in several of the service sectors since 2008-09, female apprentices are still much more likely to be found in the service sectors where pay, qualification levels and career prospects tend to be lower.

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This report gives consideration to the position of women process workers in the electronics industry, and discusses the central question of the construction of and values attached to women's skills. The chapters are as follows: Summary and recommendations (external training; inhouse training arrangements; ongoing skills development; costs of training; job classifications and pay arrangements; union issues); Part one, 'Employment opportunities for women': The framework; Women in manufacturing; Part two, 'Women in the electronics industry': Introduction; Project methodology; Electronics: an industry overview; The distribution of work: case study companies; Job classifications and payments; The acquisition of 'skills'; Changes in the organisation of the electronics manufacturing process; Conclusion. Show less

This study was commissioned by the TAFE National Centre to be undertaken within the Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations, Queensland. Its objectives are: (1) to give accounts of the experiences of women in manufacturing jobs in various industrial sites; (2) to fill a knowledge gap by developing empirical data that characterise successful career paths for women in manufacturing, and (3) based on those data, to suggest action strategies to improve the status of women in manufacturing by increased provision of appropriate education and training opportunities through TAFE.

The authors conclude that it is evident from the women's accounts that they have developed a broad perspective. The recurring themes highlight a common process of self-discovery, increased awareness of self-worth as a subject, and feminist consciousness. The outcome is the personal and social transformation of each woman. These accounts suggest that politics of vocational education for women can be reconstituted in new ways through employing 'epistemological subjectivity and tone'.

Strategies for change suggested include the development of pilot courses throughout TAFE systems, and tailoring courses for both women and men which address the wide ranging issues raised by these women's accounts. Show less

Foras Aiseanna Saothair (FAS) - Training and Employment Authority, was established in January 1988 to provide a wide range of services to the labour market in Ireland. FAS activities are funded by the Irish Government, the National Training Fund and the European Union. The main aims of the agency are to: provide the training and skills necessary for the Irish workforce to compete internationally; help unemployed workers gain employment; assist employers in securing skilled labour at all levels; and, provide intensive support to those disadvantaged on the labour market. This document presents the results of the 1996 and 1997 Action Programme for Women. In addition, it reviews the overall participation by women across all FAS programs. The report also provides an outline of the strategy for the new Women in Focus Programme 1998-2000. The Programme aims to increase and broaden the range of job opportunities accessible to women in the labour market. Specifically, it is designed to encourage increased participation by women in sectors of the labour market traditionally dominated by men, promote the participation by women at all levels in growing, future-oriented sectors of the labour market to better utilise human resources, and facilitate the upgrading of existing skill levels among women. Show less

The objectives of the project were to provide role models to young women in school with a view to encouraging them to consider the option of a non-traditional career, and to effect positive changes in attitudes amongst students, employers and the public generally towards women in the trades.

The following activities were undertaken: *State launch of the Women in Entry-Level Training (WELT) Report; *Panel discussions in high schools, with panels comprising young women apprentices, employers, TAFE representatives; *Site visits by Grade 6 primary school girls to see and talk with young women working in non-traditional occupations.

Media coverage, school participation and analysis of evaluations demonstrated the success of the project in achieving its objectives. Show less

Competenz is the industry training organisation (ITO) for the engineering, manufacturing, baking, and food and beverage manufacturing industries. This report presents the findings of [New Zealand Institute of Economic Research's] NZIER's study for Competenz on issues of under-representation as they relate to Competenz. The study comprised a structured literature review and an analysis of data from Competenz and from Statistics New Zealand's 2006 Census. The demographic scope of the study covered gender, ethnicity and age, and the scope in relation to under-representation covered occupational employment and industry training participation and completion. The objectives of the study were to examine the following: (1) the extent of occupational segregation and low industry training participation and completion by gender, ethnicity and age among Competenz-related occupations; (2) the underlying causes of occupational segregation and low industry training participation and completion by gender, ethnicity and age; (3) proven strategies to address occupational segregation and to lift industry training participation and completion by gender, ethnicity and age; and (4) implications for Competenz - which strategies (if any) are relevant to Competenz, what is their likely cost effectiveness, who else may play a role in tackling the issues, and what that role might be. This report is structured around the above objectives.

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This comparative study highlights the significant increase in the numbers of mature-aged women in the USA and Canada returning to education and employment, and the response by educational institutions and government bodies to adopt new policies and programs designed to meet the needs of this new group of students and, in particular, to move women into non-traditional areas in line with workforce projections. The information in this report is intended to inform policy makers and educators in the Tertiary Education Authority of South Australia (TEASA), the colleges and universities, TAFE and government departments responsible for education and training. The contents are as follows: Summary of report; Background to the study; Re-entry women: an overview; Moving women in: community access; Education and employment; Pre-vocational and pre-academic bridging programs; Vocational training in the colleges (INTO [Introduction to Non-Traditional Occupations]; WITT [Women in Trades and Technology]; bridging programmes for the technologies); University re-entry; Future prospects and problems; Conclusions and implications for Australia. Show less

This paper makes a case, both moral and economic, for gender equality in the fields of technology and engineering in the US. The authors note that technology and engineering suffer from a lower participation rate of women, holding back the pace at which these sectors can advance and their overall contribution to the economy. As new technologies require new abilities, the risk of the skills gap widening will only become greater. To prevent this from happening, the authors advocate closing the gender gap and levering the entire talent pool to build the right pipeline of skills.

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The objective of this study was to determine and analyse the perceived trends of women in construction with regards to recruitment practices and placement within firms on the basis of gender. Data and literature on construction industry recruitment strategies, differences in gender, and representation of women in the trades has been studied in order to understand the perceived status of women in the construction industry as a whole. Major findings of the study included correlations between the size and type of construction firms and the proportions of women employed. The analysis determined that there are greater opportunities for women in home office positions in smaller firms. It was also determined that the greater the amount of work that is subcontracted, the greater the proportion of women home office personnel and salaried employees.

Other findings from the study included patterns of how the industry ranked women's performance of tasks. Construction industry professionals rated women higher in tasks involving computer literacy skills than did student respondents. Both industry professionals and student respondents thought women perform slightly better at tasks involving communication skills and sensitivity to the emotions of others, and that women performed worse than men in tasks involving physical strength. In regards to observations of personality traits, industry professionals and student respondents thought that women were slightly more tender-minded and organised as compared to men, while men were slightly more aggressive than women.

The results helped to conclude that while companies are not necessarily discriminating against women, they are also not looking to them as a potential skilled labor source. Additionally, gender differences observed in construction work, are not reflected when assigning work. In times when gender is considered, physical strength is typically the only gender difference that the industry is recognising.

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This chapter aims to explore the barriers that affect low-income women's participation in retraining programs, focusing specifically on the Women's Work Training Program in Regina, Saskatchewan, and the attempt that it made to address these problems. This program, organised by two women carpenters and run over a period of five years, provided non-traditional skills training within a women-only environment to a total of 64 women from low-income backgrounds. Five issues that particularly affected these women's lives were those of race, motherhood, violence, lack of experience as paid workers, and poverty. It was found that while the program was able to address some of these concerns through flexible work arrangements and life skills training, it was less successful in helping to alleviate poverty, due to the low wages that were all the program could offer its trainees. It was also felt that the program could have benefited from greater input from Aboriginal instructors and elders; overall, however, the program could be counted as a success.

The volume of collected works is indexed at TD/TNC 77.205; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 77.206 to TD/TNC 77.212. Show less