Women apprentices still get raw deal

With the new series of the BBC1 television programme The Apprentice now underway, TUC research 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 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.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady 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.

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