Delegates at this July’s Women Installers Together conference participated enthusiastically in round table discussions in which they talked about their experiences of the industry and how to make it more welcoming. Hattie Hasan, founder of Stopcocks Women Plumbers, explains.
We were delighted at the way the delegates got really stuck in to the round table discussions, sharing their experiences and ideas for the future.
The delegates showed an excellent understanding of the reasons for the low numbers of women in the industry and how this affects both women and men. Their insights will go a long way to helping overcome the coming severe skills gap.
With insufficient numbers of plumbers and heating engineers qualifying and working in the industry and the average age of those in it 57-58, we’re in for a major crisis in the next five years.
Women in the heating and plumbing industry have some excellent insights to share that will make the industry more aspirational and more welcoming to everyone, and if we’re going to beat the coming skills gap we will need to look at the experience of those on the margins of the industry, traditionally the place where problems show up more extremely giving this group 2020 vision.
From changing the attitudes of careers guidance instructors, changing our own attitudes, and essential work improving the industry’s reputation and changing the way heating engineers and plumbers are shown in TV drama and documentaries, to making the workplace a friendlier more caring place – this last will have a significant positive impact on the high suicide rate and bad mental health record in the industry.
The women in the industry have shown they have many of the answers. Work to increase the numbers of women in the industry will increase all new entrants and improve wellbeing of everyone in it.
“I’d been turned down for a job the week before I attended WIT, I took note of the way women are judged on past performance while men are judged on potential that Hattie had mentioned in her talk. I took all this on board before I went along to another interview the week after the conference. This time I got the job!”
-WIT delegate and qualified heating engineer.
Next year’s conference on 1st July will be focusing on this 2020 vision.
New sponsors are welcome for WIT 2020.
Event organisers Stopcocks Women Plumbers have developed training and consultancy incorporating the views and experiences of the women in the industry. If your company wants to increase it’s diversity, contact mica@stopcocks.uk
