PDF version available for download (PDF help)

date: 27 March 2008

embargo: 00.01hrs Friday 28 March 2008

Women apprentices still left out of 'jobs for the boys', says TUC

As Sir Alan Sugar begins his search for a new apprentice, TUC research published today (Friday) shows that female apprentices are still being left far behind their male counterparts.

The report Still More (Better Paid) Jobs for the Boys - prepared for the TUC Young Members Forum which starts its annual conference in Manchester today (Friday) - shows that while more apprenticeship places have opened up for women in general, this has not happened in better paid male-dominated sectors such as engineering and construction.

The TUC report shows that little has changed - and in some cases the situation has worsened - in the three years since the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) completed its report looking at this issue in detail.

The proportion of men and women entering into apprenticeships overall are fairly even - 54.2 per cent of people starting apprenticeships in 2006/07 were men, and 45.8 per cent were women - but apprenticeships are still strongly divided along gender lines. In 2006/07, the worst industry culprits were construction with only 1.3 per cent women apprentices, vehicle maintenance (1.4 per cent female apprentices) and engineering (2.5 per cent).

During the same period, 97.1 per cent of apprentices in childcare were female and 91.7 per cent of hairdressing apprenticeships were women, the two lowest paying sectors. This divide was identified by both the EOC and the Women and Work Commission, but this new TUC report shows that there has been virtually no change since 2002/03. In engineering the situation has actually worsened, with the proportion of women apprentices falling from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent between 2002/03 and 2006/07.

Midlands TUC Deputy Regional Secretary Roger McKenzie said: 'Apprenticeships are an excellent route into work and we want to see more and more employers offering high quality places.

'But this report shows there is still a huge gender divide in apprenticeships. Too many young women are being limited to apprenticeships in low-paid traditionally female occupations like childcare and hairdressing, and are unable to break into well-paid male occupations like engineering.

'Low pay in apprenticeships happens much along gender lines. Women receive on average 26 per cent less pay than men so action needs to be taken now to tackle this divide once and for all. Government and, in particular, employers need to take this seriously and make equality a major priority.'

The TUC report also shows that big employers - often said to be better at tackling issues such as occupational segregation - are amongst the worst culprits. Of the large employers who contract directly with the Learning and Skills Council's National Employer Service (NES), women only comprise around one fifth (20.1 per cent) of all apprentices taken on.

Of the ten most popular apprenticeships taken up by NES employers, six had less than 11 per cent female apprentices. Even more strikingly, four of the five most popular apprenticeships taken up via the NES have less than four per cent women - construction (1.2 per cent), vehicle maintenance (1.3 per cent), engineering (3.5 per cent) and electro-technical (1.5 per cent).

The TUC report suggests a six-point plan to tackle this growing inequality:

The Government should set a national equality and diversity strategy to target particular groups, sectors and localities where gender divides exist.

The Government should make more use of means such as procurement policies to promote equality and diversity in apprenticeships and could put targets in place for Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), linked to Government funding of SSCs.

As women are more likely to be in low paid apprenticeships than men, increasing the £80 minimum pay rate for apprenticeships would benefit women most. The minimum apprentice wage should urgently be raised to £110 per week.

Joint work between unions and employers on equality and diversity should be encouraged and supported by the Government.

Adult apprenticeships should be expanded. Research shows older women are more likely to take up apprenticeships in non-traditional female roles, so expansion of the programme would help break down occupational segregation.

The Government should fully explore how the public sector gender equality duty can ensure gender equality in apprenticeships.

To view the report in full please visit: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/genderreport.pdf

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The TUC Young Members Forum begins today (Friday 28 March) at 5.30pm at the Chancellors Hotel, Chancellors Way, Moseley Road, Manchester M14 6NN.

- There are currently around 250,000 apprentices in England. The Government accepted the recommendations of the Leitch Review of Skills, published in December 2006, which said that the number of apprenticeships in the UK should expand to 500,000 by 2020. In England this means an expansion to 400,000.

- Apprenticeships are a core part of the Government's strategy for raising the participation age in education and training to 18.

- Apprenticeship stats - proportion of women apprentices in 2002/03 and 2006/07:

Source: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

- A series of TUC rights leaflets are available on our website and from the know your rights line 0870 600 4 882. Lines are open every day from 9am-9pm. Calls are charged at the national rate.

Contacts:

Media enquiries: Roger McKenzie, T: 0121 262 6383; M: 07879 497 291;

E: rmckenzie@tuc.org.uk; Alan Weaver, T: 0121 262 6383; M: 07771 778 694;

E: aweaver@tuc.org.uk

Press release (1,000 words) issued 28 Mar 2008