17 minute read
Women in industry
It’s time to challenge gender stereotypes
Most Brits have never had a female tradesperson working in their home. But with the industry facing a growing skills shortage, what more can be done to encourage women to consider a career in the trades? Registered Gas Engineer look at some of the latest initiatives and speaks to women about their own experiences.
Seventy per cent of Brits have never had a female tradesperson in their home, according to a survey commissioned by Baxi that highlights the lack of female representation in the trades. But even though so few people have used a qualified female tradesperson, 94 per cent of homeowners say they would completely trust them. And just under one-quarter (24 per cent) of women polled said they would feel safer using a female tradesperson.
There are no official figures for how many women work as heating engineers, or in other roles within the industry, but estimates suggest the number is very low. The GMB Union estimates that just one in eight construction workers are women1, while Direct Line for Business says there were 33,000 active tradeswomen in 2019 – with 73 per cent of them working as builders.2
But there are signs that times are changing: Baxi’s research found that 70 per cent of homeowners would actively encourage a female relative to consider a career in engineering. Managing director Karen Boswell says: “Our survey confirms that homeowners are happy to see female plumbers and gas engineers, yet there remains a critical lack of tradeswomen.
“With the industry facing its biggest change since the introduction of the gas boiler, this would be an excellent time to improve female representation. We will be doing our bit to employ more women in engineering and management.”
Jess Queenan, a Baxi customer support engineer, has been a qualified gas engineer for six years. She says: “I have a career and a wage that I’m proud of. It would be great to see more women getting into it… hopefully we’ll be breaking through some boundaries over the next few years and making [women engineers] the norm.”
Jess’s view is reinforced by independent gas engineer Rachel Griffiths, who says: “There’s not a single obstacle I’ve come across as a woman plumber that I needed help with [or] couldn’t do because of my gender.”
Jess Queenan, Baxi customer support engineer
The need for good representation
Anastasia Bingham-Kirkland works for Baxi Heating as an operations data systems analyst, and went straight into the industry after gaining her degree in Computer Aided Engineering. She says she wasn’t encouraged to work in engineering at her school, as it was considered a career for boys. But family and
Women are needed to tackle skills shortage
Anew initiative that’s working hard to encourage more women into the trades is the national Register of Tradeswomen, set up in March 2021 by Hattie Hasan. Hattie created Stopcocks in 1990 – a national company of women plumbers and heating engineers – and since then, she and her partner Mica May have championed the role that women can play in the trades.
Hattie received an MBE in 2020’s New Year Honours for services to women in the heating and plumbing industry.
The register is open to women across all the trades, and in time they hope to have hundreds of fully vetted tradeswomen of all types, based all over the country.
The register has been set up as a community interest company, meaning it’s not-forprofit and all monies raised are fed back in, and initiatives are designed to encourage more women to join the trades.
Spread the word
Hattie and Mica are aware of the need to train more tradeswomen – and tradesmen – as the UK battles with a growing skills shortage. The register is looking to set up training courses for women who would be interested in learning a trade.
“It’s pre-college level training,” Mica says. “Enough to help teach people how to fix taps and toilets, and to give them some experience with tools and plumbing in general. It’s great experience to help boost their confidence, especially if they are looking to go to college to learn more skills.”
Initially the training is aimed at teaching a skill to women and survivors of abuse, but Mica hopes they can roll it out on a much larger scale in future. They are currently seeking sponsors to work with them on converting a vehicle into a flexible mobile training centre, travelling around the country to run basic trade training courses.
Mica says: “These courses are meant to be a taster, because people are contacting us saying ‘how can I find out if I’m interested in this work when I’ve never had the chance to try?’ This way they can give it a try in a non-threatening environment, to see if it’s something they’d like to pursue further.
It’s time to challenge gender stereotypes
friends encouraged her to pursue her career.
She says: “Companies are taking steps to become more inclusive, and challenge stereotypes. I feel lucky to be pursuing my career at a time when women are becoming more visible, but there are still times when I’m seen as less knowledgeable or competent than my male counterparts, and these perceptions still need to be challenged.
“Encouraging women in to get involved starts with good representation. We need to shout about the women who are already in the industry and the fantastic work they do.
“This is particularly important for children and young people, who can see from an early age what a real person working in the industry looks like.
“It’s important to show the breadth of careers available in the industry, and how there is something to suit all skills, interests and career goals.”
‘Women have a vital role to play’
Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is also encouraging more women to explore a career in the gas industry. The most recent intake for its engineering apprenticeship programme saw a 20 per cent rise in the number of offers being made to female applicants, quadrupling the company’s female engineering workforce.
Annie Thompson from Leeds began her career at NGN in an administrative role, but was promoted to operational technician at the NGN gas holder in Leeds after completing a course run by training provider Develop.
She says: “I’m on site every day in my hard hat and high-vis, and I make sure that everything is in place for the contractors to do their job safely. I ensure that all the engineering work runs smoothly and to a high standard.”
NGN has established a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy within the organisation, and is also a business partner for Solutions for the Planet; an organisation that brings schools and businesses together to encourage all pupils to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to think about how science can provide solutions to the challenges of sustainability.
Growing influence
Viessmann is determined to recruit more women. Its Women’s Influence Network (WIN) aims to positively influence cultural change so that both women and men are perceived more in terms of their specific strengths.
Men are welcome to be part of the network, which has more than 100 active members. Initiatives include networking events, seminars, a mentoring programme, and improvements in childcare provision as well as information on maternity and paternity leave. The Network hopes to work with the Viessmann Foundation to speak to young people in schools about opportunities in the heating industry before gender
Annie Thompson, NGN
Mica May, Register of Tradeswomen
“The industry has known for years that we’re facing a serious skills shortage, and it’s only going to get worse as more people retire. We can’t keep doing the same things to encourage new people into the industry and expecting different results – and what’s being done right now just isn’t working.
“We have to try something new to make the industry more aspirational. Culturally we’ve been taught that any job where you get your hands dirty just isn’t desirable. Schoolchildren are told that they are ‘too good’ to go on the tools, and that has to change.
“I think if tradespeople were seen as more diverse that would be a big help. Especially when we in the trade know that the perception of a stereotypical plumber doesn’t fit the reality.”
https:// registeroftradeswomen.com
stereotypes creep in.
Emma-Louise Bennett is a customer relationship coordinator based at Viessmann in Telford. As a WIN member, Emma wants to encourage interest in the industry from as many different people as possible.
She says: “The heating industry is currently suffering a severe skills shortage [and] a large section of the Gas Safe Register will be retiring in the next 10 years. It’s essential that the female market is tapped into. Working in heating can be very well paid if you are in the right job and there is no physical reason why a woman can’t be a heating engineer.”
A real shift in support for women
Melissa Puryer is the Viessmann area business manager for the south-west of England; the face of Viessmann for engineers and merchants in the area. She joined Viessmann as a graduate with a degree in English – the first entrant on a trial graduate recruitment scheme.
Melissa says: “There have been times when I’ve gone into a merchant or met with an engineer and got the feeling they were trying to ask particularly technical questions to prove I didn’t know the answer. This has driven me to improve my technical knowledge as I do enjoy proving some of them wrong.
“I do think it’s easier now for women to join the industry, and I’ve noticed there are more younger people and female apprentices being considered by engineers. You can also see a real shift in support for women as engineers on social media.”
But Melissa says the industry needs to do more to raise awareness of the jobs available. “You have to know someone who does the job or you wouldn’t know how to get into it,” she says.
“It would be amazing if there had been a session at school where women came in and talked about their jobs and what the opportunities looked like. Although you see plumbers driving around town, not many people know what the job entails.”
The industry is changing
Sarah Hobbs began her career in 2001 working for a local merchant and is now business development manager (south) for Resideo.
“I had always been drawn to more technical hobbies, so finding a job I could really get my teeth into was ideal,” she explains. “There were not many women in construction when I started out, and when I was behind the trade counter, people tended to head to my male colleagues for answers rather than asking me, but thankfully this is not as prevalent now.
“If you are willing to prove the doubters wrong, you can certainly get there.”
Sarah also wasn’t encouraged at school to consider a career in the trades. She says: “There was much more talk about admin roles in the late 1990s when I was starting out, so these were the type of opportunities presented to the girls in my class. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted, but I had to search for other routes myself.
“To some extent this is still the case. Even though the job roles are out there, it still doesn’t feature widely on the radar unless a family member or friend is already in the industry and can offer inspiration and advice.
“Encouragingly, there has been much more emphasis on engineering and STEM subjects within schools, but that tails off when it comes to plumbing and heating. With the skills gap looming, we need to take the opportunity to break this cycle and present the industry as diverse, attractive and exciting, so that more women and men consider it as a long-term career choice.” ■
Melissa Puryer, Viessmann area business manager
1 https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/construction-industry-just-125-women-and-54-bame 2 https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/public-liability-insurance/knowledge-centre/tradesmentips/women-in-trade
Supporting off-grid customers and installers to meet the decarbonisation challenge
Life after lockdown is certainly looking greener. With the pandemic having sparked a noticeable shift in attitudes towards the environment and the importance of nature, it is no surprise that we are seeing a growing demand for sustainable solutions that can reduce carbon footprint and, in turn, help consumers save money. Inherently, though, making the move to lowcarbon heating for rural, off-grid homes has proven difficult due to the associated complexities and high costs – acting as an obvious deterrent for the customer and installer alike. This, however, is changing with the arrival of BioLPG, a direct, drop-in, hassle-free, sustainable replacement for conventional LPG. Here, Karl Bateman, National Specifier Manager at Calor, advises on the growing opportunity that BioLPG offers installers operating in rural settings.
One unlikely consequence of the Covid crisis is that it has brought the plight of the planet to the fore. With national lockdowns leading more people to spend time outdoors and appreciate the importance of nature, the pandemic has seen the emergence of a more ethical, more eco-conscious consumer.
According to a recent report, 81 per cent of us are more concerned about the environment now than a year ago.1 A separate study2 reveals that 65 per cent
of consumers think ‘it is important that climate change is prioritised in the economic recovery after Coronavirus’.
Cue the rapid acceleration of green technology uptake. It’s estimated that as many as 60 per cent of consumers are now making more environmentally friendly, sustainable purchases.3 British householders recently admitted they would be willing to pay £3,654 more a year for sustainable items on top of their existing household outgoings.4
On a wider level, the UK government has asserted the importance of a green-focused recovery to the pandemic that tackles the climate change crisis. Sustainability issues will also be high on the agenda ahead of the United Nations COP26 summit. Part of this
will centre on the urgent progress needed to reduce carbon emissions from home heating, which contributes a significant 14 per cent to the UK total alone.5
The result is a huge opportunity for installers to offer heating solutions that help their customers to improve their energy efficiency, reduce their environmental impact and get their homes ready for the future.
The rural challenge
When it comes to treating the 8 per cent of UK homes that are situated in rural settings and off the gas grid, though, the heat decarbonisation task is traditionally a complex one. This is because the nature of Britain’s rural building stock makes it harder for these properties to transition to lowcarbon heating, compared with those in urban areas.
While hydrogen is a possible solution for those on the gas network, it can’t be stored easily or transported off-grid. Heat networks work better in more densely populated areas, and so these are unlikely to play a major role in the countryside.
This leaves heat pumps and biomass. Biomass has air quality issues, and woodchip pellets need to be handled manually and delivered frequently. Heat pumps generally require good levels of home insulation to heat effectively.
But rural homes are hard to insulate. Lots have solid walls, 78 per cent are detached and 47 per cent were built before 1949, many much earlier. Therefore, the
What is BioLPG?
It’s a renewable biofuel engineered from a unique blend of waste, residues and sustainably sourced materials that offers exceptional heating performance and can effectively heat even poorly insulated homes and generate instant carbon savings – all while remaining economically feasible. Better still, because it’s a direct, drop-in replacement for conventional LPG, LPG boilers can use it now and in the future.
The benefits of this approach are huge. For the homeowner living in a rural, off-grid setting it means they can make sizeable carbon savings with minimal disruption and without a huge outlay. Also, because boilers are unlikely to go away altogether any time soon, there is the assurance of medium to long-term longevity.
It also means that installers who are already LPG trained can help their customers lower their carbon footprint significantly, by replacing their oil boiler with an LPG one, without retraining in other technologies or spending time and money on becoming MCS certified.
As we see it here at Calor, this is just the beginning. Drawing on our rich 85-year legacy of providing energy to Britain’s ‘hard to treat’ rural homes, our mission is to help solve the UK’s rural heat decarbonisation challenge. We currently offer our BioLPG as a blend of 40 per cent mixed with 60 per cent conventional LPG, to provide 38 per cent carbon savings compared with heating oil. We aim to supply 100 per cent renewable energy products by 2040.
reality is that an electric heat pump alone may not keep occupants warm enough. What’s more, homeowners may end up with bigger energy bills than expected due to the energy level needed for heat pumps to work effectively and keep them warm.
This is why, understandably, some installers have been reluctant to work on low-carbon projects off the grid. A recent survey7 among members of Calor’s Boiler Installer Scheme revealed that 68 per cent were concerned about how the decarbonisation of heat is to be implemented in these homes. Key reasons cited were the huge costs for the homeowner and the worry that off-grid solutions cannot compare with those on the grid.
We want to keep boilers
It is estimated that the typical upgrade cost for such homes could reach over £30,000 compared with a national average of £9,000.6 And 63 per cent said their customers would prefer to lower their carbon emissions by keeping their existing heating system and boiler, but using a more sustainable fuel they can ‘drop in.’
Fortunately, there is a solution. In the case that standalone heat pumps aren’t suitable, BioLPG fuel, either in standalone boilers or in combination with a heat pump in a hybrid system, has been independently proven to offer the most affordable way to decarbonise around 44 per cent of rural homes currently heated by highly polluting heating oil.
Yes, it is a challenging time for the heating market as it embarks on the long journey towards decarbonisation. But it’s also a hugely opportunistic one. By taking advantage of renewable heating sources such as BioLPG, installers can empower rural homeowners to benefit from significant carbon savings off the grid and, in turn, themselves stay competitive as the world returns to an almost normalcy that looks decidedly greener. We actively support our valued network of Calor installers in helping them to solve their customers’ rural heating requirements. This is not just in terms of innovation, but by providing expert training, technical advice and marketing support. We even offer a market-leading incentive scheme, where we will pay up to £250 per referral.
Furthermore, we also carry out the installation of gas storage and external pipework to ensure an easy, seamless service. With such a strong heritage and reputation in supplying gas to families, businesses and communities who live or work off the mains gas grid, being an approved installer with us offers credibility for the customer too.
1 Eco-friendly product sales increase in UK during lockdown, The Independent 2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55630144 3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55630144 4 Eco-friendly product sales increase in UK during lockdown, The Independent 5 National Statesman 6 Committee on Climate Change 7 Survey conducted among Calor installers in June 2021
