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Editorial Today
Amy blazes trail for female apprentices
Amy Higgins (20) from Ballymartin
There’s a world of opportunity out there if you only open your eyes and look around.
Sometimes that means breaking down a few barriers to get where you want to be.
It appears there has been a distinct lack of encouragement in directing young people down the road towards apprenticeships, particularly females.
Amy Higgins, from Ballymartin, Co Down, is training to be an electrician. In her class of 30, she is the only girl.
It’s a familiar scenario. In September 2021 the number of young men enrolled in apprenticeships here was 3,816, compared to 432 young women.
It all harks back to a bygone age when males dominated the workplace in electrics, plumbing, engineering etc.
No matter how often we hear about the opportunities for all in these jobs, regardless of sex, the sector remains male-dominated.
Perhaps there’s a lack of signposting in our schools, many of which still regard academic achievement as the ultimate ambition.
Amy blazes trail for female apprentices
Amy Higgins (20) from Ballymartin
There’s a world of opportunity out there if you only open your eyes and look around.
Sometimes that means breaking down a few barriers to get where you want to be.
It appears there has been a distinct lack of encouragement in directing young people down the road towards apprenticeships, particularly females.
Amy Higgins, from Ballymartin, Co Down, is training to be an electrician. In her class of 30, she is the only girl.
It’s a familiar scenario. In September 2021 the number of young men enrolled in apprenticeships here was 3,816, compared to 432 young women.
It all harks back to a bygone age when males dominated the workplace in electrics, plumbing, engineering etc.
No matter how often we hear about the opportunities for all in these jobs, regardless of sex, the sector remains male-dominated.
Perhaps there’s a lack of signposting in our schools, many of which still regard academic achievement as the ultimate ambition.
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Even Amy admits a career as a ‘spark’ was not her first choice. It was the route she took after being turned down for a nursing course at university.
All too often apprenticeships are viewed as a back-up plan.
In an education system where success is often measured in grades, there is still a belief among some that those who don’t make it to further education have somehow “failed”.
University might not be for everyone. And preconceptions that the world revolves around academic achievement are just that.
These days there’s a diverse field of employment opportunities for young people to harvest a career from.
Dental nursing anyone? Social media and digital marketing, where the sector is growing all the time as the priorities of the business community continue to realign?
Look at IT — prospects abound in software, cloud development, data analysis and more.
To learn and earn at the same time via an apprenticeship should be a tempting prospect for many young women.
With more encouragement from schools, there’s no reason why they can’t take the road less travelled in the past due to gender stereotypes, and help meet the needs of the economy for trade-based employment.
Forget casual nods to diversity, it’s about time young women were at the forefront of roles such as engineers, electricians, plumbers etc.
Let’s encourage more of them to do so — whether that’s at school or in the home.
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