New research shows women prosper in trade-related jobs

2nd May 2013

New research shows women prosper in trade-related jobs

Electricity supply industry training organisation, ESITO, says a research project about employing more women in traditionally male-dominated roles shows women bring different skills to these roles.

ESITO’s National Operations Manager Doug Pouwhare said the research project has a great deal to teach employers, ITOs and others.

Mr Pouwhare said the research followed a group of 9 women trainees who were employed in the electricity supply industry as line mechanics and cable jointers.

“These are traditionally male dominated roles in the industry,” he said. “ESITO is keen to attract more women into these types of roles and the research project aimed to identify how these women got on in such roles.”

The key findings of the research were:
• The women made a significant contribution to the health and safety aspects of their work in what is accepted as a hazardous environment.

• The teams they worked with needed to change how they operated rather than expecting the women to become “one of the boys”.

• Good human resource practices by their employers made a significant difference to the way women integrated with their work colleagues.

• Some of the motivators for women differ from men and include a greater sense of job satisfaction, good career prospects and taking on a challenge.

• Women in these types of roles provide advantages for employers through improved ability to meet diverse customer needs, having highly skilled and committed employees, reduced need to recruit from oversees, and improved communication and interpersonal skills.

Employers who recruit women in traditionally male-dominated roles should be prepared to be surprised, said Doug Pouwhare.

“The research found that their interpersonal, teamwork and cognitive skills were excellent and they demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for the job and learning.”

One of the companies which employed women trainees was Northpower which recently had two of New Zealand’s women cable jointer trainees become the first to complete their qualifications.

Northpower’s Business Support General Manager Barbara Harrison says recruiting women in non-traditional roles will be critical in easing pressure on New Zealand businesses as they attempt to solve a shortage of skilled tradespeople.

Mr Pouwhare said ESITO has had a number of female trainees in line mechanic and cable jointing roles since 2010. They are now qualified and continuing to perform well as they gain more experience and seek to add more qualifications to their skill-set.

“Importantly, they are respected and accepted as a valuable part of crews by their male colleagues.

“The fact that women comprise 51% of the population suggests it makes good sense for employers to make a greater effort to recruit more women into these non-traditional roles which are still predominantly the preserve of men,” says Mr Pouwhare.

A copy of the full report entitled ‘Ultimit Benefit – Women Trainees in the Electricity Supply Industry’ is available by download from the ESITO website at www.esito.org.nz

The research was conducted by Heathrose, an independent research company, on behalf of ESITO. The research began in 2010 and the final report was released on 30 April 2013.

ENDS

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