With apprenticeships booming within the UK amongst a variety of ages, the question looms as to whether gender participation differs within this career choice. The amount of occupations available within apprenticeships has grown vastly, as more employees are looking to hire passionate individuals for their work forces. A combination of traditionally male orientated jobs and female orientated jobs such as plumbing and hairdressing are both highly popular within the apprenticeship schemes.
In January 2008 the National Apprenticeship Service was set up to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities and provide a dedicated, responsive service for both employers and learners. Before 2008, apprenticeship schemes were dominated by males, as they were mainly based around jobs within trade. As apprenticeships started to increase in participation, so did female involvement. This is not to say there is wide percentage of female apprentice plumbers or electricians out there, however as jobs broadened their search for workers, females became more involved.
Sectors such as retail and administration jobs are now widely available to apprentices and statistics show that females have become more involved because of this. In 2008/9 there were 119,300 female apprenticeship starts out of a total of 239,900 which is just under 50%. Statistics do show some decline when it comes to females completing an apprenticeship course. Whilst the percentage of women starting apprenticeships is encouragingly high, it is concerning that the completion of courses by women is in decline.
Even with these statistics and concerns, we don't have an accurate picture of how many apprenticeships are taken up and successfully completed by women. It would appear that there are more male apprentices than female apprentices in these days, but to complicate matters we have to take the duration of an apprenticeship into account. Female-friendly retail and administration apprenticeships tend to last for just one year, while plumbing apprenticeships, traditionally male-oriented, can last for up to three years.
There is an issue of gender segregation surrounding female participation within certain apprenticeship schemes. Many occupations which have the lowest levels of female participations in apprenticeships such as, engineering, construction and automotive, are those which are facing the most pressing skills shortages. It has been said that skills shortages exist in the sectors with least female participation. It follows that increasing the numbers of women entering these sectors would increase the pool of skilled labour on which such sectors can draw.
In January 2008 the National Apprenticeship Service was set up to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities and provide a dedicated, responsive service for both employers and learners. Before 2008, apprenticeship schemes were dominated by males, as they were mainly based around jobs within trade. As apprenticeships started to increase in participation, so did female involvement. This is not to say there is wide percentage of female apprentice plumbers or electricians out there, however as jobs broadened their search for workers, females became more involved.
Sectors such as retail and administration jobs are now widely available to apprentices and statistics show that females have become more involved because of this. In 2008/9 there were 119,300 female apprenticeship starts out of a total of 239,900 which is just under 50%. Statistics do show some decline when it comes to females completing an apprenticeship course. Whilst the percentage of women starting apprenticeships is encouragingly high, it is concerning that the completion of courses by women is in decline.
Even with these statistics and concerns, we don't have an accurate picture of how many apprenticeships are taken up and successfully completed by women. It would appear that there are more male apprentices than female apprentices in these days, but to complicate matters we have to take the duration of an apprenticeship into account. Female-friendly retail and administration apprenticeships tend to last for just one year, while plumbing apprenticeships, traditionally male-oriented, can last for up to three years.
There is an issue of gender segregation surrounding female participation within certain apprenticeship schemes. Many occupations which have the lowest levels of female participations in apprenticeships such as, engineering, construction and automotive, are those which are facing the most pressing skills shortages. It has been said that skills shortages exist in the sectors with least female participation. It follows that increasing the numbers of women entering these sectors would increase the pool of skilled labour on which such sectors can draw.
About the Author:
NotGoingToUni.co.uk is a website to help young people find apprenticeship jobs and training programmes. The site has advice and news related to apprenticeships in IT for men and women. You'll also find more information and advice about find work on your gap year and sponsored degrees, as well as more than 300 distance learning videos.
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