ESITO Women in Power Project

The Electricity Supply Industry Training Organisation (ESITO) has been running a three-year responsiveness project looking at what barriers might exist to prevent particular groups within the available workforce from entering the industry, and what might cause them to leave it. They are also trying to discover what might encourage and retain a more diverse workforce for the electricity supply industry.

ESITO has already carried out extensive research, and conducted two case studies, into the factors affecting the attraction and retention of Māori, Pacific peoples, migrants and women. Based on this work they have developed three interventions for trialling in the electricity supply industry, one of which is to establish a dedicated cohort of female trainees within the line mechanic sector.

Women are traditionally under-represented in trades occupations and creative approaches and solutions are required to change this. In 2006 women represented only 29 percent of all industry trainees and 8.7 percent of the 9,466 modern apprentices.

After reviewing the initial findings of the responsiveness project case studies, ESITO decided to take deliberate action about the perceived ‘entrenched attitudes’ towards women in the line mechanic sector. The result was a scheme to sponsor a cohort of female trainees within two electricity supply companies. The supporting research and training costs will be financed by ESITO in conjunction with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

Three research questions have been proposed for the project:

• Is the fact that women who are in tools jobs are isolated and don’t have sufficient peer groups to support them a factor limiting women’s recruitment and retention in tools jobs?

• Is the H & S model used in the electrical supply industry one that primarily assumes a male worker, and does it sufficiently consider issues that might affect women relative to men?

• What are the work-related attributes and qualities that are valued in ‘tools’ roles in the industry in terms of a trainees’ ability to learn and perform, and to what extent do female and male trainees exhibit these?

A large number of women have already registered their interest in the recruitment process. ESITO also has the support of the two largest contractors in the Auckland region, who have agreed to take on nine female trainees between them as part of their usual intake. The project is ongoing, but the positive commitment from industry and a potential supply of qualified women line mechanics is encouraging for the future of female representation in this trade.

WEBSITE: www.esito.org.nz