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£10m drive to boost number of women in the workforce20th November 2006 From construction workers to lorry drivers, women of all ages – from school leavers to those returning to work after a career break – will have the chance to test out new recruitment and career opportunities that have previously been considered the preserve of men.
The initiative is being spearheaded by five Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) as part of the Government's Action Plan implementing the Women & Work Commission recommendations.
A number of other projects are in development and will be announced in the new year. Overall, the two-year scheme aims to help up to 10,000 women find new careers or progress their careers in sectors where they are currently under-represented.
The SSCs will run a variety of projects to provide women with the skills and confidence they will need to succeed in these male dominated industries, including training for a new career; personal development programmes to help women progress to supervisory and managerial level, and also into self employment; mentoring schemes for female employees; and female-only bursaries for technical qualifications.
According to the Women & Work Commission, it is estimated that increasing women's participation in the labour market and in higher grade roles could be worth between £15 billion and £23 billion a year to the UK economy.
The participating SSCs cover a wide range of industries, including:
Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education & Skills announces the sectors for the Women & Work Sector Pathways Initiative.
He said: "I am delighted to announce that the following Sector Skills Councils – ConstructionSkills, Improve, Lantra, Skillfast-UK and Skills for Logistics – will be taking forward this initiative in response to the Women & Work Commission report 'Shaping a Fairer Future'. Over the next two years we are investing £10m to help remove the barriers many women still face in getting in and getting on in the workplace. It's about getting a better deal for women and for all of us, as this has the potential to bring a greater rate of return to our economy and society as a whole."
Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Department for Communities and Local Government, said: "I welcome the announcement today of these exciting projects which will transform the working lives of thousands of women. They will provide routes into new careers, raise skill levels, and have a real and lasting, positive impact on women's earnings potential".
Fiona Mortimer, Women and Work Project Manager at the Sector Skills Development Agency, which oversees the Sector Skills Councils, said: "These industries offer a wealth of diverse and interesting careers. However, gender stereotypes have meant that women have often been deterred from considering working in them. This initiative aims to begin to redress the gender divide in these traditionally male-dominated industries and show women the great careers they offer.
"Employers recognise the need to address the gender imbalance and the positive contribution women can make to their businesses, and have made a significant commitment to work with their Sector Skills Councils to make this project a reality."
Frances O'Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary, said: "These projects giving the chance for women to boost their skills and career development are welcome and should result in more women moving into better-paid jobs. Alongside this we need to see the structural and cultural barriers for women in non-traditional sectors broken down, for example through quality part-time work and challenging stereotypes. Unions, and in particular union learning representatives will have a key role to play in supporting the women involved".
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Women are to be encouraged to consider careers in traditionally 'male dominated' professions thanks to a new £10 million initiative...