More girls need to become bricklayers and tradespeople as Education Secretary spotlights ‘future proof’ careers

Bridget Philipson insisted that the government and industry need to do more to “support young women into construction”.

On a visit to a technical college in Derby, she met with apprentices who were crying out for more support to get females into their fields.

And it was important to see “fantastic role models” in the form of girls in trades – particularly in industries that would usually be male-dominated.

Many of them face practical barriers, including “having the right clothing, footwear, that often isn’t designed for women”.

She admitted “we don’t have enough women” in some of the important construction roles but that it would be “pretty easy” to overcome the barriers.

Ms Philipson said: “It’s also, I think, giving good options around careers guidance and work experience, because it’s often when people get the chance to see what construction is really like, particularly young women, they really see that it’s something for them.”

Read more: ‘We want justice’: Family’s heartbreak after Heathrow grandad’s asbestos death

Read more: Taylor Swift reveals new era as she announces album The Life of a Showgirl

She insisted that trades jobs like bricklaying, electricians and construction, were the ones which would be protected and unaffected by AI in the same way as some other jobs are.

The Education Secretary said there were some careers which were “future proof”, adding: “they’re brilliant careers”.

Ahead of A Level and GCSE results this month, she wrote this week that far too many young people, particularly white working class British students, don’t get the exam results they need at GCSE to allow them to continue on to university.

She told LBC this was a “big generational challenge and I’m determined to grip this” with a white paper later this year.

She added: “We do face shockingly low levels of attainment for many white working class kids in our country.

“Fewer than 20% get a strong English or maths pass at GCSE. That doesn’t just hold them back from going to university… but actually means many of them can’t carry on with their studies, they can’t get into work, they can’t take on an apprenticeship.

“It’s part of the reason that I’ve been so focused on making sure we drive up attendance, because if kids aren’t in school, if they’re not learning, they’re less likely to do well. That’s part of it, but it’s also tackling some of the challenges we see when children are young. We know a big part of the gap in terms of how children do at school opens up before the age of five.

“And that’s why we’re backing families with our Best Start family hub. So building on the legacy of sure Start, but also expanding childcare provision, because really high quality early years education is a critical part of how we’ll make sure that kids in communities like Sunderland and right across the country get the chance to get on in life.”