Birmingham boss boost for women’s training

Karren Brady, managing director of Birmingham football club, is urging women to participate in a £10 million initiative to help them secure better training and support to fulfil their potential.
The Women & Work Project, which was launched last year by Gordon Brown, is testing new recruitment and career opportunities for up to 10,000 women over two years in logistics as well as other sectors where there are skills shortages and where women are under-represented. It is being delivered by Skills for Logistics and other sector skills councils working with employers.
Brady said: “There has been progress since I started out but the glass ceiling still exists for women in the UK – only 33 per cent of managers and senior officials in business and the public sector are female.
”But women are the hidden asset in ambitious companies looking to increase productivity. Working with sector skills councils to unlock the potential of women in the labour market could be worth between £15 and £23 billion to the UK economy.”
One example of success has been grandmother of two, Cheryl Mundy, who recently gained her LGV qualification through Skills for Logistics’ Women & Work programme, after working for years in accounts at logistics company J. Pickard & Co of Umberleigh. She said: “The scheme was a fantastic opportunity for me to gain new skills and grow in confidence to do something I’ve always wanted to do.” Her Managing Director Graham Short said: “I’m pleased that Cheryl has been given the chance to progress in her career. It’s also been of huge benefit to the firm as we now have a relief driver available on site.”
David Lammy, minister for skills, said, “We are investing £10m to address the skills gender imbalance. It’s about getting a better deal for women and for all of us, as this has the potential to bring a greater rate of return to our economy and to our society as a whole.”