NEW research has found that careers in construction trades are not being considered by women in the Echo region, despite a strong public desire to see more females in the sector.

The vast majority of people in the region (76 percent) have never encountered a female in any of the main construction trades roles of plumber, electrician, carpenter or builder even though 87 percent would like to see more women in such roles.

Yet the majority of women surveyed from the region, 87 percent, have never even considered a career in the industry.

The survey commissioned by Able Skills, specialists in construction training, found that around a quarter (24 percent) of the people surveyed from the region had encountered a woman in these roles. Of those, 85 percent described the service received as positive and would recommend the service to others. None reported a negative experience.

But why are there so few women considering a role within the construction trades industry? Women reported that the career was never highlighted as an option for them to pursue. More than eight out of ten women in the region said no family, friends, careers advisors or teachers had ever discussed a career in the construction trades industry with them.

The biggest factors holding women from the region back from pursuing a career in a role traditionally associated with the opposite sex were concerns about: not being taken seriously (49 percent) career progression opportunities being limited (39 percent) and facing prejudice (36 percent).

However the shortage of women in construction trades could be a trend on the way out, as overall British women aged 25-34 were the most likely to consider a career in the construction trades (35 percent).

Gary Measures, Managing Director of Able Skills says: “The public want to see more women in the construction trades industry and trust them to deliver a good job. Proving that women’s concerns about not being taken seriously and facing prejudice are unfounded. We really want to encourage more females to consider a career in construction trades and are really pleased to see that the younger generations may break down some of the barriers. In 2017 only 5 percent of our trainees were female but we really want this to change.”

Despite construction trades roles being perceived as male orientated, there is a high level of trust towards women working in the sector. Almost a third (31 percent) of UK adults said they would trust a female construction trades person more to give them the best and most fair price, compared to just 14 percent who would trust a male more.