Tickets for Women Installers Together (WIT), an annual event for all tradeswomen, were ‘soft launched’ to private tradeswomen’s groups last Thursday and over a quarter of the 200 available have already been claimed, a statement said.
The event is set to take place this year on 4 July at The Great Hall, London Metropolitan University.
A statement said that WIT started seven years ago as a small event for women plumbers and heating installers to help overcome the isolation they, at around 1% of the plumbing workforce, experience. Women in other trades, who experience the same lack of representation, approached the organisers and it is now open to all skilled tradeswomen including women in construction and female trades trainees/apprentices. Local networking events are now in the pipeline with the first in Manchester on the afternoon of 22 February.
Funded by sponsorship from a small number of companies, WIT stated that the event is devised to bring tradeswomen together and features speakers and activities.
Mica May, who organises the event and is the director of Stopcocks Group, said: “Although the numbers of tradeswomen and trainees is growing, this event is not about numbers or footfall.
“We create the space for tradeswomen to connect with one another, which is an extremely rare opportunity for them and to meet and build relationships with representatives of suppliers, manufacturers, colleges and so on, who’re interested in helping develop an environment in our industry that listens to all the voices in it, that recognises that building an inclusive culture benefits everyone and is prepared to hear what women need for it to be created quickly and effectively.
“Imagine what it’s like to go through your week and never to see anyone who looks like you or whose body functions like yours, doing what you do. Protective clothing doesn’t protect because it doesn’t fit, health and safety regulations often endanger you because you’re smaller than most of the people who were considered when they were developed and you can’t get into a toilet or when you do, it’s too filthy to use.
“All these issues contribute to our low numbers, as well as the lack of role models and assumptions from some that we’re not up to the job. When we’re actually doing a great job as well as dealing with a whole load of extra issues every day (and that is before we’ve organised childcare).
“This is the reality for most women working in skilled trades in UK right now. We’re appreciative of the chance to get together and talk about what’s important to us whether that’s neurodiversity, finding out more about energy efficiency, training opportunities, leadership, bookkeeping, the most exciting tools or finally finding comfortable work boots that fit and really work for work.”