Renewable Energy Installer September 2014 | Page 8

News: Analysis
Girls allowed
There aren’t many women working in the industry today, so REI spoke to two
who are proving that it’s not just a man’s game
he construction industry is very male dominated. When people think about the stereotypical plumber, mechanic or gas engineer,
they’ll probably picture a man driving in a white van, and carrying a toolbox.
And the statistics back this up. A recent survey of 2,000 people by WaterSafe revealed that less than 1 percent of plumbers in
the UK are women. However nearly a third of women (31 percent) questioned would prefer a female plumber to carry out work on
their home.
The renewables industry is still (relatively) young but it’s growing fast, and what is clear from speaking to Jayne and Kate, could provide
exciting opportunities for both men and women.
T
Jayne Hall-Edwards Kate Gilbert
Jayne Hall-Edwards is the director at
Plumbers, Electricians, Carpenters (PECs)
LTD with her husband Ian. She has MCS
certificates for PV, biomass and heat pumps,
and is training to become a Green Deal
Advisor. Kate Gilbert is the sales and events manager at
Plumb and Parts Center’s Sustainable Building
Center (SBC). Kate co-ordinates the training
programmes and open days held at the SBC,
and has a great insight into the renewables
industry.
In my experience
there aren’t
many women in
construction.
Ten years
ago our company
specialised in
kitchens, and we
would fit about
25-a-week. My
husband can’t be
in two places at
the same time, so I
started helping out
on site.
The first time I met a site manager he turned around to me
and asked my directly: ‘What do you know about kitchens?’, and
that’s the clean version. That was my introduction to the business,
but I soon had them eating out of my hands.
Some people might have the view that women are more
about nails and heels than hard work, but it all comes down to
who is the best person for the job.
I’ve seen some horrible work carried out by men, and I’m sure
I’ve seen the same with women.
For me it’s about capability. I don’t mind if you’re a man or a
woman, tall or short, if you can do the job to a high standard that’s
good enough for me – we always use whoever’s best. I’ve been working with renewables since November 2010 when
they were pretty new. There was no Green Deal, no RHI and the
Feed-in Tariff scheme had only just launched, so it was a world
away from what we have now.
The industry in general is very male dominated, although
Plumb Center is actively trying to attract a more diverse workforce
and increase the number of women in its business.
In my experience, there are slightly more women working in
renewables than traditional heating.
I think it’s because renewables are new so it’s a more
accessible area, and there aren’t any preconceptions about what a
heat pump installer should look like; it could be anyone.
Renewables also requires a lot more communication with
the public. This is an area
that we’re seeing women
grow into and we are seeing
more women stepping into
sales roles because they have
renewables knowledge.
At the RHI events we
organise, we’re also seeing
more husband and wife teams
coming along to hear about
the scheme, and the wives
are usually the ones that are
managing the business side.
It’s exciting, the industry is brand new and it’s a blank
canvas. There are no preconceptions so anyone can become a
renewables installer, whether it’s men or women, young or old.
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