Female Electricians

[Han_av18]

Just come across this

The Press Association: Bid to recruit female electricians

to try and encourage more females to train as an electrician. I think this is great (as Im a woman) and I know another training provider did this a few years ago up north to encourage women in this sector. I do wish they do it in my area though as I would love to train as an electrician but can I get onto any apprenticeships? Nope! Im not saying the reason I dont get on to them because of my sex (its prob because Im not good enough lol) but Im glad to see companies trying to get women into the industry.

What do you qualified electricians think about women in the "male industry" and businesses trying to get more women involved?

 

[alarm man]

I think its great that women want to become electricians.. i've got nothing against it.. as long as there willing to be treated the same as a male electrician...

i was talking to another electrician before and he said that they had a female apprentice working for them, he said that they wanted to get rid of her so bad but was afraid to just incase she took them to a tribunal.. she wouldnt go up steps, wouldnt go in atticks, wouldnt carry materials, wouldnt carry her tools, because she was a lady...

if she wants to be an electrician, act like one! dont play on "im a lady". you chose this career now ****ing put up with it.

when i was an apprentice if i refused to do half of what she refuses i would of been strip naked or sacked long ago.

of course, i am not stereotyping lady electricians as some male electricians are exactly the same.

employers should not be scared either, both sex's are equal in my eyes, if they are sh*t, get rid of them, male or female.

i know the lass


im a sparky'ess

 

[Han_av18]

Thanks everyone for your opinions on the matter.

The reason I posted it was I know a spark who works for a company. I was talking to him about trying to get on an apprenticeship at his place and he basically said good luck! His supervisor dead against women in the work place. He doesnt see it as a job that a woman can do etc etc. My mate reckons a woman can walk in with all the qualifications needed to get on the course and the maths skills to rival Carol Vorderman but if she has an interview with this supervisor then she doesnt stand a chance. Which obviously struck a chord with me. I am someone who wants to be given the chance, I muck in with jobs, work hard, willing to learn, can keep up with the banter and give as good back!

So even though it shouldnt matter what gender/race etc you are aslong as you can do the job. Intiatives like this kinda help those who clearly wouldnt stand a chance to get on the course (if face to face with this supervisor), and they will actually get on the course and be given the chance to PROVE themselves.

 

[mogga]

If the female applying feels she has been disctiminated due to her ex she could take them to court but then shes tarred with nthe brush n Next interview may include a 20mtr bit of 240mm 4 core for everyone to move if you get what I mean

There are some dinasors out there who think women should have a baby on each breast and dinner on the table at 5pm for him coming in from work Personaly if I was a lassie I wouldnt want to work for someone with apotitudes like that even as a guy I could only stick that for a wee while
The opposite side of the coin is the firm who want to be seen to be PC and discriminate the other way so they can "look good" by having the token female employee

 

[malcolmsanford]

Coming form a completely male dominated environment as far as trades were concerned, the only women we saw were in the canteen and the offices, I've would have been wary of a woman trying to get into the trades 40 yrs ago, but thankfully times have changed.

The Electrical Contractors' Association campaign, Wired for Success aims to reduce female unemployment and tackle the industry's skills crisis at the same time. Unemployment for women is at its worst since 1988.Former ECA president and skills ambassador, Diane Johnson, who leads the campaign, said: "On the one hand, our industry is facing an impending skills crisis. On the other, there are more than a million unemployed women in the UK at the moment. In my head I see an obvious solution to two problems."
Women make up only 1% of those qualified in the electrical industry, and it is estimated 5,000 apprentices are needed each year to fill the gap.
Working as an electrician is flexible, and attractive to women with families, she said.

Over the next two years, 12 women in London living in social housing will receive specialist training and work alongside three contractors to become competent enough to work in the domestic market.

My concern is the some portions of the article. where is this skill shortage? Where are these apprenticeships coming from? and since when as our trade been classed as flexible?

I'm the same as some posters by all means encourage woman who want to get into the industry to join it, but to try and create something that isn't there is that possible? I know that in what is classed as a female profession such as midwifery, there is no positive discrimination towards men.

I hope that by the government putting pressure on the ECA like this, that problems are not created within an already destroyed industry. Where there is no skills shortage of trained Electricians, where the 8 biggest contracting companies are already looking to de-skill the industry further and leaving the already qualified sparks out of work or accepting a down grade in work.

The majority of the "time" served electricians are already at logger heads with the 5 day course DI, what will the attitude be towards perhaps a 5 day trained female sparks?

Finally it is not a flexible family orientated industry, How many of us have had to "chase the money" around the country in the past, and how many work 10-15 hours a day as a sole trader. How many guys here alone get call outs at 2am in the morning?

I just think that the Government have looked at the 1% figure and perhaps just jumped on it.

 

[telectrix]

the phrase"nail, head, hit on" springs to mind there malc., the skills shortage is coming only due to the de-skilling and lack of proper apprenticeships/training.

 

[Rockingit]

If it's yellow, smells like a lemon and looks like a lemon, then it's probably a lemon.

 

[kathwilcox]

LOL, you guys really do make me giggle.

I would just like to comment a remark posted on this thread, one saying something along the lines of a female apprentices refusing to do things, well IMO, if your not prepared to go up ladders, under floors, or in attics, crawl through cobwebs and god knows what, break a finger nail, get dirty, lift a few reels of cable, take the banter and some sexist remarks, give as good as you get, play the game and prove your as good as the guys, if not better, then this AINT the job for you, get a job where you are prepared to work for a living!


Sorry about the rant but it winds me up when people come into the trade and are not prepared to pull their weight, i've had to study and work hard to get where i am today, i am proud of what i do for a living and take pride in my work.

 

[DurhamSparky]

bloody hell kath!! chill pill...! lol you ranting like peach!

 

[kathwilcox]

bloody hell kath!! chill pill...! lol you ranting like peach!

lol, just winds me up, think it time for a drink!

He's the one that will be ranting on friday, my just have to record it, PMSL!!!!!

Oh and i have done an extremely crap job for the last 2 and a half years working anything from 8-18hrs a day, treated like s**t and got no extra pay, i will just call it character building!

 

[telectrix]

i rather liked kath's rant. if a female is capable of doing the job, including the cobwebs, rats, and all. then best of luck. some women, however, would never be capable of it. imagine katie price getting up into a dirty attic through a 24"X14" hatch. there's a couple of reasons why not!. apart from getting hands dirty.

 

[Rockingit]

Having worked with the mentioned celebrity, before the slap goes on she looks like she has!!

 

[Kamikaze]

i rather liked kath's rant. if a female is capable of doing the job, including the cobwebs, rats, and all. then best of luck. some women, however, would never be capable of it. imagine katie price getting up into a dirty attic through a 24"X14" hatch. there's a couple of reasons why not!. apart from getting hands dirty.

Tel, we actually need to see this on “What Katie did next”. That would be worth watching! :tounge_smile:

 

[BluSparx]

Hey guys after never working with a female sparky in my 7 years, i had the pleasure of working with a hard working dedicate female who knew her stuff.

Anybody who can work that hard and dedicated deserves to be in the trade. god help my work experience guy last week though "I'm scared of heights..... i'm scared of spiders........ I can't use a drill" well in that case my advice mate is off you go to make some telesales calls.

My rant over back to the serious if I was asked again to work or take on a female sparky the answer would be yes without hesitation just a shame my customer didn't see it that way today

 

[kathwilcox]

i think he's happy now!

 

[BluSparx]

yes i agree the fact we got coffee out of him today and a smile out of him but hey thats that over hope all goes well tomorrow any probs ring me