WaterSafe has launched a new campaign designed to entice more women into the world of plumbing.
The 'Get Girls Plumbing' campaign has been kicked off by the plumbing assurance organisation, following recent research which found that many customers would feel more comfortable with a female plumber coming to carry out work in their home.
While 79 per cent of the 2,000 UK consumers questioned by WaterSafe said that they saw skills as the most important thing, a third of women respondents reported that they would like to see more women plumbers offering their services.
The research also found that less than one per cent of plumbers in the UK are women, while 38 per cent of females said that they would like to learn a trade such as plumbing if they had their time over again.
Career advisor, Donna Mason, told the Blackmore Vale Magazine: “I think WaterSafe's Get Girls Plumbing campaign is a fantastic way of putting a trade career for women on the agenda - and with a skills shortage in this country, we need to be encouraging young girls into plumbing apprenticeships. Plumbing can be a very rewarding career, both financially and personally and can fit around family life. So, let's Get Girls Plumbing!”
The managing director of a Bournemouth-based water company, Sembcorp Bournemouth Water, said that the report was “shocking” and “extremely important”.
“We are delighted to lend our support to this important campaign...What’s really important is the quality of the plumbing work and that customers get what they want and feel comfortable with; not the gender of the plumber”, said Roger Harrington.