Major housing bodies create partnership to encourage women into trade roles

The pledge includes a commitment to sharing job opportunities with women who have been through the programme, as well as a commitment to ensuring an inclusive workplace that offers flexible working arrangements, equal pay and equal opportunities.

According to the network, just 2% of tradespeople in the UK are female, while women represent 57% of the workforce in sectors that have been forced into shutdown due to the pandemic, such as retail and leisure.

The Women’s Trade Network is currently recruiting for supporting partners.

Cem Savas, co-founder and chief executive of Plentific, said: “Through our work with both housing providers and contractors, we’ve seen there is a huge opportunity for women in trade.

“Our housing partners have told us of their need to fulfil resident wishes by offering the ability to select female operatives, while our contractor partners have told us of their difficulty in attracting women to their available roles.

"It’s clear that there is far more opportunity for women in trade roles than they may realise and we’re thrilled to be launching the Women’s Trade Network to not only increase representation in the industry but also change lives.”

Denise Fowler, chief executive of Women’s Pioneer Housing, said: “As a housing association for independent women, we want to be able to offer our residents a tradeswomen to carry out work in their property, if they request it.

“At the moment, that’s an incredibly difficult thing to be able to fulfil simply because there are not enough women in the industry. The Women’s Trade Network will change that, not only offering female residents more choice but also opening up career opportunities that many may previously have not considered.”

Ashling Fox, chief operating officer at Peabody, said: “I am delighted to be part of the founding team for the Women’s Trade Network. There are so many opportunities for women to have a successful career in trade, but the perceived barriers to entry make people discount it. Peabody has a long track record of supporting people into work and gaining better access to education and training, and this is a great opportunity for our residents and young people. Breaking down barriers to employment will be a core element of the Women’s Trade Network and in the coming years I hope we can really make a change in the industry.”

Gerri Scott, group director, customer service at L&Q, said: “Inclusion is one of L&Q’s five core values and we are passionate about greater representation across the whole industry. The Women’s Trade Network will enable more women to access roles they may previously have thought of as off limits to them and drive a change in how these jobs are perceived. We’re excited to be a driving force in changing perceptions.”