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Women make up less than 1% of the UK's construction workforce. With skills shortages in many areas, the industry can no longer tolerate this level of untapped potential. Manchester-based Willow Park Housing Trust is showing what can be achieved by redressing the gender balance in its previously all-male repairs and maintenance service and improving employment prospects in a deprived area.

It set up an apprenticeship scheme for women in the Wythenshawe area to learn in-demand skills such as plumbing and repairing gas appliances.

Sheila Doran, director of building services at Willow Park, says the organisation was very conscious of the high drop-out rate seen in many apprenticeship schemes.

"It's always a problem, and with women the rate is often higher," she says. "We deliberately had a six-month lead-in time, so people knew what the work involved and genuinely wanted to do it."

Getting women interested
In January 2002 the housing association began publicising the scheme, distributing leaflets to local schools, job centres, libraries and from its own offices. "We gave them out anywhere where women who might be interested were likely to go," explains Doran.

The association also held drop-in question-and-answer sessions, and invited those interested to the local construction centre to get a flavour of the work.The potential apprentices spent one day a week for 10 weeks learning how to use the relevant tools.

Willow Park also worked with the Wythenshawe Partnership, Manchester council's regeneration initiative for the area, to provide detailed counselling on what the work would mean for the apprentices in practical and financial terms.

Between 30 and 40 applicants were whittled down to eight. The final part of the selection process was an aptitude test, assessing candidates' literacy and numeracy. "People have an outmoded view of construction – it's not just about doing things with your hands," says Doran. Those who didn't make the grade were referred back to the Wythenshawe Partnership so they could work on their basic skills and take up apprenticeships later on.

Willow Park aimed to take on at least three women apprentices so they wouldn’t be isolated

The association could afford to take on only six people and, of these, five are still involved. All are aged between 19 and their mid-30s; four live in the Wythenshawe area.

Training started in August, and takes place in the local construction centre one day a week. On the other four days, the women go out with Willow Park's tradesmen and put what they've learned into practice under supervision.

The course will last four years. By the end of the first two, the apprentices will reach NVQ level 2 in plumbing. During the third and fourth years, they will achieve NVQ level 3 in gas servicing.

Funds for the future
The organisation received £63,000 from the European Social Fund for the period August 2002 to December 2003, which will cover 45% of the project's costs – the maximum proportion the fund will pay for. The biggest chunk of this will cover salaries – Willow Park apprentices get £11,000 per year while they are training – but will also help with training costs, buying tools and childcare.

The working day lasts from 8am to 6pm, and employees do one of two shifts: 8am to 3.30pm or 10.30am to 6pm, giving them the flexibility to take children to school or pick them up as required. "It's what customers want, but it's good for employees as well," says Doran. "It's helped the blokes,too."

She believes offering single-status working conditions – the same for white- and blue-collar workers – helps to attract women to less traditional roles.