Supporting the female workforce in the Welsh transport industry, and encouraging more women into the sector there, is at the heart of a partnership between Transport for Wales (TfW) and Women in Transport.
Women make up 20% of the transport and communications industry in Wales. As part of the launch, the Welsh Government has funded research by Chwarae Teg to map out where women work in the transport sector in the country and to understand their experiences.
That evidence gathering has shown that women are particularly under-represented in occupational groups traditionally associated with men. Among those are engineers, vehicle maintenance staff and drivers. The two parties intend to use that data to inform their work “and implement positive change across Wales.”
Minister for Climate Change Julie James says that increasing the number of women within the Welsh transport industry is a good way to meet “high demand” for recruitment.
She continues: “On average, around 4,500 job vacancies in transport and logistics are posted each month in Wales. It is therefore remarkable that women make up only 20% of the workforce. That is why I am pleased we have been able to sponsor this piece of work, which looks at the barriers and challenges facing women entering the workforce and how they can be overcome.”
TfW Customer Engagement Director Jo Foxall is Wales Lead for Women in Transport. She adds: “It has been great to launch the Wales Hub for Women in Transport and to see so many people attend and support the event.
“At TfW, we are building an inclusive and diverse workforce, and we recognise that our public transport network needs to cater for the diverse public and be inclusive for all.
“I have worked in the transport sector for 18 years and I am extremely passionate about encouraging more women to take up roles within [it], in both traditionally male front line roles as well as more leadership and decision-making positions.”
More information here.
