Tag: barriers

Outdated stereotypes and poor career advice are main barriers to women entering the plumbing industry

Trade body for the plumbing industry encouraged by the small but increasing number of women apprentices who are changing the face of plumbing but more still needs to be done

Outdated stereotypes and poor career advice are seen as the main barriers for women considering a career in the plumbing and heating industry, according to a new survey from the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF).

  • In a poll-of-polls of 674 people, 39% of respondents believed sexist and outdated stereotypes were the main barrier to women entering the UK plumbing industry, with 21% stating poor career advice.
  • The poll, conducted between 23-27 February, also found that 28% of people thought there was no barrier to entering the profession, with 12% citing a lack of respect for women.

Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of SNIPEF, said: “It is unbelievable that in 2023 outdated and sexist stereotypes continue to be made about what women can and cannot do, often reinforced by misguided career advice that the trades are men-only professions.

“Thankfully, SNIPEF is finding a small but growing number of women who are challenging these misconceptions and entering the plumbing industry, finding it an attractive and lucrative career option.

“We need to encourage greater diversity into our industry, helping us address the current skills shortage and meet the demand from 30% of customers who have stated their preference for a women plumber.”

SNIPEF also revealed ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), Scottish Apprenticeship Week (6-10 March) and World Plumbing Day (11 March) that 2% of its apprentices are now women, an increase of 50% since 2020. Although still small, trends indicate a growing demand from women to train as plumbing professionals.

Typical of the new cohort of young women trainee plumbing and heating professionals is 17-year-old Naomi Watson from Aberdeen, studying at Dundee and Angus College and about to enter the second year of her apprenticeship with SNIPEF member EJ Parker Technical Services.

Naomi said: “I absolutely adore my job, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. As a commercial plumber, I visit new places with new challenges each month. This week I am heading to Inverness to work on renewable technologies.

“I couldn’t ask for a more supportive team. I love every single one of the boys I work with and get on so well with my journeyman. He has taught me so many things to get me started.

“This job has made me incredibly confident. I feel now that there isn’t anything I can’t achieve if I put my mind to it.”

Dale Thomson, Apprentice Training Manager for SNIPEF, said: “The talent and energy apprentices, such as Naomi, bring to their journey towards the status of a qualified plumber is remarkable.

“The young women who sign up to learn about plumbing bring a fresh element of enthusiasm, skill and dedication to the profession, and it is good for the industry that we are seeing more and more of them.”

In the Autumn, SNIPEF will unveil its new Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion action plan, aimed at confronting industry misconceptions, to encourage more girls and women to consider training as a plumber and setting its ambition to have women making up 10% of all apprentices by the end of the decade.

CASE STUDIES:

Gemma Ireland, 20, Edinburgh.

Year 2, NVQ Level 3, Borders College.

Employer: Joanna Martin, Able Girl Plumbing.

“I chose plumbing as a career because I wanted to do a hands-on job. I had a spell of work experience and I found that I really enjoyed it. I am now doing something different every day – there is just so much variety.

“My employer is very supportive and I am engaged on domestic plumbing and gas work from Monday to Wednesday, with the rest of the week studying at college. It is really interesting.

“None of my family has any connection with the profession and, although I am the first female apprentice, I am not the first female plumber in the company. There is no reason a woman can’t do this job just as well, if not better, than any man.”

Ambition: To have my own company. 

Naomi Watson, 17, Aberdeen.

Year 1, Dundee and Angus College.

Employer: EJ Parker Technical Services.

“I love how fast-paced my job is. I love plumbing so much and feel that it is a great opening for anyone with a practical mindset. It gives you plenty of opportunities, I travel all the time, I meet so many amazing people and I learn new skills every single day. You just need to take on board what the experienced tradespeople have to say.

“I would highly recommend a trade to any female or male out there. It’s a great way of life, you are constantly busy and the pay is good for someone just out of school.

“This job has made me incredibly confident. I feel there isn’t now anything I couldn’t achieve if I put my mind to it. I feel so much more comfortable in my own skin.”

Ambition:      To start my own business.

                        To move up in the company.

                        To work offshore. 

Nina Hamilton, 24, Elgin.

Year 2, Moray College, Elgin.

Employer: Simpson Plumbers.

“I am the first female apprentice in the company and, although it can seem a bit daunting at first, I would definitely recommend it to other women.Once you get into the swing of it, it’s good fun and you learn a lot of good skills.

“In the past, I never would have thought about getting into a trade but, when I was told about an apprenticeship opportunity coming up, I thought why not go for it?

“I like how every day is different and there is a wide variety of types of work. You learn something new every day and can pick up little tips and tricks from the different journeymen on the jobs, which always comes in handy. My employer is very supportive.”

Ambition:      To learn everything I can. 

Ellie McPhee, 19, Glasgow.

Year 1, Glasgow Kelvin College Springburn Campus.

Employer: The Findlay Group.

“On the trial with my current employer, I realised that not only was I not becoming distracted, I was actually really looking forward to learning more.

“I now enjoy each day of my training – each day brings something new – and I am very much looking forward to finishing my first year and progressing to Year Two.

“My employers are very supportive. They are always reaching out to me, checking how I am getting on and helping me – especially when it comes to the college side as I prefer the more practical stuff. They make sure I’m properly supported on site and at college.”

Ambition: Undisclosed. 

Marion Stewart, 21, Elgin.

Year 3, Moray College, UHI.

Employer: G&A Barnie Group.

“Although there are other women working in the Barnie Group, I am the first female apprentice plumber. I have just finished my third year at college and have my gas, renewables and oil qualifications. Next year will focus on practical work with the company.

“Some jobs take just a few hours, but others can last for weeks and I enjoy being involved in a project from start to finish, and the sense of achievement which comes with that. There is a great deal of variety, with something new every day.

“I got started in this career because I actually asked the company for work experience and they suggested I try an apprenticeship instead. Throughout my training, my employer has been completely supportive and has encouraged me in everything I do.”

Ambition:      To become a supervisor or a contracts manager with my current employer. 

Cultural communities: Is enough being done to support culture at community level?

What cultural activities are happening in communities across Scotland? This is just one question being asked by the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee as it starts a new inquiry.

The inquiry will see the Committee look at the Scottish Government’s Cultural Strategy, which focuses on what it calls a ‘place-based’ approach. The Committee will look at what this means for communities up and down the country and what barriers are in the way to developing local cultural activities.

Now the Committee want to hear from those who participate, attend or organise cultural activities in their local areas. It wants to find out what more needs to be done to support these activities and what difference they make to people’s lives.

Speaking as the inquiry launched, Committee Convener Clare Adamson MSP said: “Scotland has a rich cultural heritage and the very heart of that lies within our local communities.  From community choirs to book clubs, local galas to theatre groups, there is a huge range of activities taking place each and every day.

“But these activities are not always easy to access or indeed organise, so we want to find out what support is needed to make these events happen. And importantly, where this support should come from.

“Culture enriches us all and this is especially true for our communities. Which is why we want to hear directly from those at the very heart of Scotland’s local communities.”

Questions the Committee is asking include:

  • What are the key factors that support you to attend or participate in cultural activities?
  • What support has there been in place to develop and grow cultural activities or events in your local area?
  • What needs to be in place to enable or to support a variety of cultural activities or events being organised and delivered in your local area?

Lockdown easing mustn’t create new barriers for people with sight loss, says charity

Lockdown restrictions that ease today [Monday 26 April] must not inadvertently create new barriers for blind and partially sighted people and those with other disabilities, says the national sight loss charity RNIB Scotland.

RNIB Scotland director James Adams said: “With lockdown restrictions easing further today, we’re all looking forward to getting outside to see loved ones and enjoy the warmer weather.

“But we are hearing from many blind and partially sighted people who have lost confidence in going outside after a year of covid restrictions and are anxious about public spaces becoming busier and more cluttered with café and bar tables and chairs.

“Social distancing often relies on being able to see things such as signs, queuing systems or barriers. When you can’t see these changes, they can create new obstacles to navigate and further erode confidence.

“So we’re asking the public to be aware of the challenges people with sight loss might face, and help them to safely social distance as the restrictions change. We’re also reminding local authorities and businesses that the measures in place to protect us must be inclusive to everyone, not just to those who can see them.

“This is the ‘new normal’ we should aim to return to in Scotland.”

* RNIB’s website (www.rnib.org.uk) and helpline (tel 0303 123 9999) has more information on this.

Three in four people blind and partially sighted people concerned about getting access to food

Difficulties in social distancing are adding to the stress many blind and partially sighted people are experiencing in getting access to basic shopping, a survey by the charity RNIB has found.

“This first nationwide survey of how people with sight loss are coping during the current lockdown situation suggests it might be impacting particularly severely on them,” James Adams, director of RNIB Scotland, has warned.

“Three in four respondents to our survey reported being very or quite concerned about getting access to food. Uncertainty and confusion over access to shopping and information – compounded by isolation and the barriers to being guided because of social distancing – all add to the stress many people are feeling.

“We are working with supermarkets to ensure those who can’t leave the house, or who can’t see to easily social distance themselves from other shoppers, do have access to basic food supplies.”

People with sight loss can struggle to maintain social distance as they can’t always see other shoppers approaching them, pointed out Mr Adams.

Eighty per cent of people replying to the RNIB survey said that the way they do shopping has changed since lockdown.

Before, 28 per cent said they had done their own shopping. Now, half that proportion do. And while only 18 per cent had previously relied on someone to shop for them, now 49 per cent do. 25 per cent said there was no one in their household who could guide them around a shop.

Shopping online has also proved a problem. 67 per cent of respondents had experienced difficulty finding a supermarket delivery slot, while 26 per cent said they couldn’t access the supermarket booking web-page. RNIB has pressed government and supermarkets to add blind and partially sighted people to the priority delivery list.

The survey has also revealed that the isolation imposed by lockdown has hit blind and partially sighted people particularly hard.

78 per cent said they had less contact with ‘the people who matter to me’; one in five people reported that they now rarely speak to people either over the phone, on video calls or in person since lockdown; while five per cent did not know how to contact many of the people they would normally be in touch with at least once a week.

Accessible information was another worry. One in four respondents had struggled to get written information in a format that they could understand.

“We have urged government and public bodies to ensure that often vital  information is available in formats such as audio and braille,” said Mr Adams.

“While social distancing is an important health measure, the consequences for those who are less able to comply can be difficult, especially if other people wrongly assume they are just being lackadaisical. We need to give more thought to how we ensure people with sight loss don’t end up becoming prisoners of lockdown.

“Our RNIB Helpline is available to help and support all blind and partially sighted people and their families and carers on 0303 123 9999. We want people with sight loss to know they are not alone and that help is available”

Case study – Kirin Saeed from Edinburgh:

One in five respondents to the RNIB survey said they have had to ration food during the current lockdown period:

Kirin Saeed from Edinburgh is registered blind. “I’ve found myself limiting the food I eat as I’m never that sure when my next food delivery will be,” she says. “I have a paid carer who lives some distance away and I’m conscious I don’t want to burden her with too much shopping. Also, as I’m in the black and minority ethnic group and possibly more vulnerable to the coronavirus virus, I need to limit contact with others.

“If I went to a shop myself social distancing would be a massive problem. Touching things to ascertain what they are would, too. Blind people live in a world where touching things is important – but how long does the virus stay on things we touch?

“I don’t think this situation is going to change anytime soon. Everyone’s scrambling through the here and now –  but what about the here and after? There will still be social distancing.

“The hope I have is that shops and supermarkets agree a standardised policy for customers with sight loss, so that we know how to safely get around shops and so do staff. That would be the best way forward for everybody.”

Common sense prevails – no barriers for Muirhouse

Muirhouse and Silverknowes will NOT be divided by barriers, the city council’s Transport, Infrastructure and Environment (TIE) committee has decided.

The committee agreed to officials’ recommendations that ‘notes and agrees that closure of the access routes should not be supported as this would impact on safe routes to schools.’

In a report into antisocial behaviour in the Silverknowes area prepared for the committee, Services for Communities director Mark Turley concluded: ‘There are widely divergent but strongly held views within the community, split by Council ward, on the best course of action to take. Officer recommendations based on existing policy is that the blocking of access would be unacceptable given the adverse effect on safe routes to school used by a number of children in the area, in addition to the other policy and social concerns. The root cause of this problem is the anti-social behaviour of the individual’s concerned and it is this which requires to be addressed. Such behaviour is unacceptable, regardless of where it occurs.”

More on this story later from Thomas Brown

 

Letter: Building barriers is not the answer

Dear Editor

I am writing  express my anger regarding the proposal from residents of Silverknowes asking to brick up three access points leading to Muirhouse following incidents of antisocial behaviour being blamed on Muirhouse residents. While I disagree with vandalism and antisocial behaviour, blocking pathways will not be the solution to this problem. This could have the adverse effect on the problem. Unfortunately lots of this behaviour is happening all over the city.

I recall this same group opposing the building of the new Craigroyston High School close to their homes . What do these people want? A Berlin Wall within North Edinburgh? They are not an elitist group who can dictate what they want.  The majority of people from Muirhouse are decent people who strive to improve their community and retain good links with surrounding neighbourhoods. Perhaps the answer is getting activists groups together within the neighbourhood to consult with each other . This could hopefully help to resolve the problem. Building barriers between communities is not the answer.

Anna Hutchison (by email)

SILVERKNOWES EASTWAY ‘barriers not the answer’