Dads encouraged to discuss their trade this Father’s Day

• Three quarters of Electrician dads would be happy for their daughter to follow in their footsteps
• 72% feel old school attitudes towards women still exist in the industry
• Only 1 in 5 daughters had received any trade careers advice from education services
• 9 in 10 dads in a recent survey of electricians said it was their responsibility to advise their daughters on career choices

London, June 16 2016

Three quarters of male electricians recently surveyed, would be happy for their daughters to take up a career in the trade. However, a similar percentage feel old school attitudes towards women would actively discourage females from taking up a trade.

The survey of electrical contractors was carried out by leading electrical industry body NICEIC who’s Jobs for the Girls campaign aims to encourage more women into the industry.

Emma Clancy, CEO of NICEIC, commented: “Dads have an important role to play in shaping the career choices of their daughters – particularly in the trades sector where many children follow in their father’s footsteps.
“So it is highly encouraging to see that up to 75% of contractors would be happy to see their daughters become an electrician.

“Since launching our Jobs for the Girls campaign in 2011 we are seeing a growing interest in women wanting to take up a trade. However, the numbers are still painfully low so it is interesting to note that many men feel certain attitudes from another era still exist today.

“That is something we all have a duty to eradicate. I would encourage dads who do come across such attitudes to take a stand and think about how they might feel if it was their daughter working in the industry.”

The survey of over 100 electrical contractors found that 90% of father’s believe that it is their responsibility to advise their daughters on their career choices. However, only 1 in 5 dads said their child had received any information from school or careers advice service about trade opportunities.

“A lot has been done in recent years across the construction sector to encourage more women into the industry, yet there still remains a low take up of jobs in the sector amongst young women, with only 1 in 1,000 electricians in the UK being female,” added Emma.

“With Father’s Day just around the corner maybe it is an opportunity for dads who work as an electrician or in the trades generally to ask their daughters what they think about their job and if it is something that would interest them in the future.

“Schools also have a role to play. What we have found is that women who do become electricians often do so later on in life. We believe that more can be done between the ages of 7-15 in schools to ensure taking up a trade is taught as an equal opportunity for both boys and girls. Young girls are often not informed or are actively discouraged from taking up a trade at a key point in their life.”

Of the electricians surveyed, a quarter said their daughter had considered a career as an electrician, significantly higher than the average number of women entering the profession.

“Our research suggests the interest is there. We now have to build on that and do what we can to break down any barriers that might be preventing young women from entering the trade. We are quite used to seeing father & son teams working as electricians. It would be great to see Dad & Daughter splashed across vans in the near future too.”

For more information about Jobs for the Girls and how to get into the trade, visit www.jobsforthegirls.com

-ENDS-

For more information, images or interview with Emma Clancy, please contact Jay Evans or Olivia Cole at Kin Communications on +44 (0)20 7158 0000 or email jay@kincomms.com / olivia@kincomms.com

Notes to Editors:

Jobs for the Girls, is an initiative created by NICEIC - the leading certification body of electrical contractors. The aim of the campaign is to encourage more women to enter the electrical industry.
Just under half (48%) of those surveyed are aged 50 year plus and will be looking to retire within a decade. To plug this shortage, more needs to be done to encourage women to enter the industry.
For more information on Jobs for the Girls and for advice on entering the trade industry as a female, visit www.jobsforthegirls.com or www.niceic.com
NICEIC is the UK’s leading voluntary regulatory body for the electrical contracting industry. It has been assessing the electrical competence of electricians for over fifty years and currently maintains a roll of over 27,000 registered contractors. It is also the UK’s market leading certification body for renewable energy and Green Deal installers.