BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITH TRADE CAREERS

Trade Careers tackles the tough issues to encourage more women into construction, with PlaceMakers now on board as an official sponsor to help female builders get a foot – with a well-fitted boot – in the door

Periods, pregnancy and portaloos – these and other ‘taboo’ topics are thrust into the spotlight in Trade Careers’ video series, which is part of its campaign to get more women into construction.

Brought to aspiring employees and employers by the Women in Trades Collective (WITC), Trade Careers is supported by BCITO, Connexis, Skills, and Competenz.

“Despite efforts from industry leaders and ITOs over the years to increase the number of women in the construction industry, only 13.5% of all tradies are women, with only 2.7% on the tools,” said Trade Careers Project Manager Tess Waters.

“We want to significantly increase the number of women, specifically those who have lost their jobs or who are underemployed due to Covid-19, entering the trades — with special attention being paid to Māori and Pasifika women.”

Investigating the interest

While many industries are striving to improve diversity, Waters said one of Trade Careers’ first moves was to determine appetite – both from perspective employees and employers.

“Just because an industry body wants something, doesn’t mean the people on the ground are on board; so we decided to find out what level of interest was out there, and what barriers might need to be overcome to turn interest into employment.”

Trade Careers commissioned two surveys – one to gauge women’s level of interest in the trades and one to gauge employers’ attitudes towards recruiting female staff and explore any uncertainties they might have about making it happen.

“On the employer side, most respondents were either really keen (with some already employing women), in the middle, or not keen at all,” said Waters. “What we found was that the ones in the middle could be swayed, providing support was available for their areas of concern.”

Investigating the issues

A key aspect of both surveys focused on detailing the real or perceived barriers to entry into the workplace. The video series is a direct response to these, and covers a variety of concerns for both parties, including how to manage a pregnant employee, who to talk to if “everything turns pear-shaped”, and if employers need to do anything about women’s periods.

“While some of the topics discussed may seem surprising to those in other industries, our goal was to ensure all concerns were addressed. If something could stop an employer from employing a woman, or a woman from applying, it’s worth some discussion.”

The perfect match

To help connect these two groups, Trade Careers organised a pilot programme with 44 women, most of whom are looking for a change in career rather than embarking on one.

“It’s incredible to see the number of older women who are looking to reinvent themselves and get into the trades – they come from a wide variety of industries and more than 60% are over 40 years old,” said Waters. “Then again, given that 22,000 women lost their jobs due to Covid, and the trade shortage is top of mind at the moment, maybe it’s not that surprising.”

To introduce these women to potential employers, Trade Careers organised a ‘matchmaking’ event, where the 44 women would meet with 35 registered employers. Unfortunately, due to the recent Level 4 lockdown, the event had to be moved online; however, Waters said that hasn’t dampened anyone’s enthusiasm or the outcomes.

“Moving to an online approach meant we had to individually match-make everyone, but it has actually been really successful, with job offers and opportunities for support coming in thick and fast.”

The perfect fit

PlaceMakers, keen to get involved and help encourage diversity within the industry, made contact with Waters to find out how PlaceMakers could help. Now an official sponsor, PlaceMakers is playing its part by helping get the women in the pilot programme kitted out for work.

“A big barrier for women entering the trades is access to well-fitted PPE gear,” said Waters. “PlaceMakers answered the call and we are so excited to be working with them!”

Stay tuned in upcoming issues of Under Construction to find about more about the ‘matches’ and how they are progressing!