Women & Manual Trades at 40

Howard Chapman, Editor of Buildingtalk, attends a WAMT Parliamentary Reception supporting tradeswomen and to launch their new video celebrating Women & Manual Trades (WAMT) at 40.

The Parliamentary Reception was held on Tuesday 17th November with the support of Charlie Mullins OBE, founder of Pimlico Plumbers. 

Baroness Sue Garden hosted the event, and joining Charlie as guest speakers were Maria Miller MP along with WAMT Chair Enoma Igiehon, and Pimlico Plumbers apprentices.

All agreed that careers in the building trades should as be equally accessible for women as they are for men, and that the construction industry needs to do more to recruit women to fill the current massive skills shortage. Currently only 11% of the construction workforce are female and less than 2% in the manual trades.

Speaking at the WAMT Parliamentary Reception, Maria Miller MP said: “We should applaud WAMT’s work to get more women into trades. We need to tackle discrimination faced by women”

Women and Manual Trades

Women and Manual Trades (WAMT) is the national organisation for tradeswomen and women training in the trades.

It was formed in 1975 and was the first group formed by women to promote working in construction and building services as a positive and enjoyable option for women