Greater Manchester embraces equity by supporting women to launch careers in male dominated industries

Rochdale Training is one of the organisations offering Skills Bootcamps in Welding

Groundbreaking training programmes in Greater Manchester are supporting women to launch careers in a range of male-dominated industries, while also assisting the region to '#EmbraceEquity'.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Skills for Growth and Skills Bootcamps programmes have been designed to remove barriers and assist people living or working in the region with employment opportunities, regardless of their background or gender.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity and women who are making waves in male-dominated fields, as well as the region’s leaders and business leaders, are encouraging others to explore training opportunities, develop job prospects and find their passions in industries they may not have previously considered.

Skills for Growth, a three-year-programme funded by the European Social Fund, supports businesses to increase skills levels of employees, while Skills Bootcamps, funded by the Department of Education, supports employers to bring in new individuals, upskill existing staff and help self-employed people to gain new work.

The Skills for Growth programme has so far supported and upskilled 3,200 women in the Greater Manchester area, who make up 50.6% of total participants on the courses, whilst nearly 40% of learners on Bootcamps courses are women.

Brittaine Grace O’Connor, 25, from Rochdale, is currently undertaking a Skills Bootcamp in Welding through Rochdale Training and says she “would recommend it to anyone.”

She said: “Being a woman in the industry can seem daunting at first, but it shouldn’t be. There are far more women in the sector than people think and I think it is certainly something more women should look at getting into. I am trained in the engineering department at Rochdale Training, and they have a female head of department which is great to see.”

Gemma Marsh, GMCA’s Director of Education, Work and Skills, said: “GMCA is committed to empowering people to achieve their job aspirations, whatever stage they are at in their career, through giving residents in our city-region the skills they require to be successful.

“Through funding from the European Social Fund and the Department for Education respectively, Greater Manchester’s Skills for Growth and Skills Bootcamps programmes are helping facilitate equity in the workplace across sectors where women are underrepresented.”