A RALLYING call has come from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the industry for construction employers to increase the number of female apprentices in their business.
With women making up only one in ten of the total construction workforce and one in 100 frontline workers, the WMCA is working with the Cross-industry Construction Apprenticeship Task Force (CCATF) to help address this gap.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, was the keynote speaker at CCATF’s recent annual conference, with this year’s event focusing on developing opportunities for women in construction.
More than 100 members of the CCATF, who are all involved in delivering apprenticeships, joined the virtual West Midlands event.
One apprentice is Danielle Taylor, from Solihull, who joined Flannery Plant Hire after working in the banking sector for nine years.
She said: “The variety of the job is fantastic, and I love meeting all the different people on-site. I’ve still got so much to learn, and I want to focus on improving my skills and becoming a better operator.”
For more information about construction training funded by the WMCA, visit https://beta.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/productivity-and-skills/construction/