Major Barriers For Women In Industry Training

25 percent women in industry training nothing to crow about

“The government is getting carried away in its praise of industry training considering that a mere 25 percent of those involved are women,” said Camilla Belich, National Women’s Rights Officer of the New Zealand University Students’ Association, Camilla Belich.

“There are clearly major barriers in the industry training model as it currently exists which are preventing women from participating at the same rate as men,” said Belich.

Belich was responding to the 2003 Report on Industry Training and Modern Apprenticeships, which Tertiary Education Minister Steve Maharey released today.

“If only the government were as enthusiastic about pay equity, and addressing the fact that women take, on average, twice as long as men to repay their student loans as they are about workplace training and modern apprenticeships,” said Belich.

“The policies of the Tertiary Education Commission are badly in need of a gender analysis in light of statistics released today and the discrimination women in tertiary institutions face under the Performance Based Research Fund.”

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