DIY retailer B&Q is investing over £1 million to fund trade apprenticeships and wants as many of those places to go to women as possible.

It is using the apprenticeship levy Transfer to Transform scheme to fund 110 apprentices, but currently only one is a woman.

It follows recent research by B&Q TradePoint, the home improvement retailer’s trade brand, which found a gender barrier exists for female school leavers looking to enter trades in the UK.

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The research found half of surveyed girls aged 16-18 say they haven’t been offered the same opportunities to enter the trade sector as their male counterparts, despite 40% considering a career in the industry while at school.

When asked why they would avoid a trade career, 16–18-year-old girls said their top three reasons were a lack of information provided by their school (37%), the feeling that the industry is too male-dominated (27%) or too intimidating (23%).

This was followed by a lack of apprenticeship options (21%) and the concern that they weren’t strong enough (19%).

The survey also revealed a critical lack of role models for girls to look up to in the sector, with three-quarters of 16-to-18-year-olds saying they’re unaware of any women currently working as a tradesperson.

Over half of all respondents who considered a career in the industry believe seeing more women in trade would have convinced them to pursue it.

The results add context to recent findings from B&Q’s parent company – Kingfisher – that only 2% of tradespeople in the UK are women.

Supply & logistics director and inclusivity lead at B&Q Amélie Gallichan-Todd commented: “It’s evident that there is a significant disparity between the increasing interest and participation of women in DIY and their representation in the trade sector.

“We want to attract more women into trade professions and that starts at school.

“Through our funding of trade apprentices and research into the barriers preventing more girls from becoming trade professionals, we hope to create a more equitable future for women in trade.”

“I’m a firm believer that ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’ and so we need to see more role models for girls to look up to in the trade sector.

“A key defining moment in my own career was seeing a young woman managing a large warehouse. I distinctly remember saying to myself “if she can do it, I can!”.

B&Q TradePoint has been looking to collaborate with female trade professionals to provide more encouragement and inspiration for young girls looking to enter the industry.

It has been working with Mary Little, a professional fibrous plasterer of more than 15 years, who has taken an oath to be a freeman of London and is aiming to become the first female Master Plasterer.

B&Q invites industry stakeholders, partners, and the wider community to join them in this mission, to create a more gender balanced trades industry.