Push to get more women applying for jobs at Green Port Hull
Siemens have told Viking they're struggling to recruit women to work at their multi-million pound wind turbine factory.
Not enough women are applying for jobs at Siemens' multi-million pound wind turbine factory in Hull - that's what the green energy giant's revealed to Viking.
In total - the company's received over 9 thousand applications for the thousand jobs on offer at the new Alexandra Dock development - but say they're struggling to recruit women.
The company also told us of the hundreds of apprenticeship applications they've received - just 5% of them were from women.
Carolyn Woolway from Siemens told Viking:
"We have had 250 applications for the apprenticeships and only 14 were from women but these oppotunities are perfect for both genders, as long as you have got a keen interest in enginnering and manufacturing. We really are keen to get more women applying for some of these jobs.
"Across the country we are struggling to get women and girls interested in engineering jobs and we will be doing local initiatives to try and encourage girls to get involved in science and technology subjects.
"There will be a shortage, by 2022 we will need 2.56 million additional jobs in the engineering sector so it is really key that women consider it as a career path."
25-year-old Chloe Horton - who started as an apprentice - is among those who've already been offered jobs at the site. We spoke to her in Denmark - where she's being trained up before the site opens in September. She said:
"Engineering has got so many faces now and it is a great way to be creative and that should appeal to females too as much as males so I don't understand why there are so few. Engineering doesn't just mean getting your hands stuck into a car engine and getting all oiled up and covered in dirt.
"When I was doing my apprenticeship there were only two females out of fifteen people in the class at the beginning, I think they just don't consider it but there are so many opportunities and challenges."