Employers, researchers and students are mounting an offensive on the under-representation of women in the construction, forestry and timber industries.

Throughout November, representatives on behalf of the ‘firrs’ project will be speaking at events organised by Napier University with the support of ConstructionSkills and the forest and timber industries.

Only 28 percent of women qualified in science, engineering and technology (SET) are currently working in those sectors, at a time when the UK is suffering a skills shortage in these industries.

Project Manager, Jenny Tizard, said: “Scottish industries are losing out by not recruiting and employing women. And women are girls are not getting access to all the opportunities they should. There are ways in which workplaces can change, and we have been looking at how to support employers in making those changes -thus helping women and girls who’d like to work in those sectors.

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“Forestry and Construction are two of our most male dominated industries, so it is great to see people from those industries keen to come and discuss what can be done to face the challenge this presents.”

The firrs project is funded through the European Social Fund and is being led by Napier University’s Centre for Timber Engineering. It aims to identify issues and connect people with the support available from groups such as the JIVE partnership.

JIVE is a partnership of organisations across the UK which has been developing new ways to tackle the issue of women’s under-representation in SET in both education and industry and has influenced thousands of people during the five years of the partnership – from young women choosing the subjects they study, careers professionals changing the advice they give, lecturers adapting how they teach, employers changing their company policy and practice, and women choosing to return to work in science, engineering, construction and technology.

(DW)