Women are encouraged to work within construction
Women are being encouraged to take on male dominated occupations such as construction, according to a BBC report. A Local Labour MP has set up an online forum which is collaborating with colleges around the region, called Women in Construction, in the hope to encourage women to work in construction companies.
MP Joyce Watson said around 75 per cent of women in Wales worked more commonly in sectors such as cleaning, caring and catering. The forum is designed soley for women who want to start working in the construction industry, as well as women who already do work in the sector.
Ms Watson set up the forum after meeting two female plumbing students (Amie and Rose), and their tutors along with Education Minister Jane Hutt. Ms Watson said: "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), Summit Skills, Careers Wales, WISE, The Royal Academy of Engineering, NAWIC and UCATT 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."