\n<\/p>\n
However, she points out that she feels her own skills have served her well. “I have found that customers are open to how I explain things,” she says.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know if that’s about my gender but I do think potentially that’s something that’s more ingrained in society – that women are good at [communication].”<\/p>\n
Given the shortage of plumbers and heating system installers<\/a> in the UK, having an industry dominated by white men, external<\/span><\/a> is a real problem – it means, by definition, that there are huge resources of “untapped talent” out there, says Vivien Kizilcec, consumer research manager at Energy Systems Catapult, a government-funded research group. <\/p>\n Today, plumbing and heating are high tech trades that require knowledge of smart controls, renewable energy systems and efficient appliances. <\/p>\n If more people were aware of this, a larger and more diverse cohort might take up the job, she suggests: “With these new green technologies, you are getting a much wider range of skills.”<\/p>\n Parental encouragement can make a big difference, notes Aimee Holloran, a business development manager at Samsung Electronics. She specialises in advising customers about heat pumps, but started out as a plumbing apprentice. Her dad got her into all kinds of things boys typically do, she says, including riding motorbikes. And her mum suggested the plumbing apprenticeship.<\/p>\n Some companies are setting targets for improving gender equality. LiveWest, a housing association in the south west of England, has appointed seven female apprentices in the last year, across various trades, for example. It now has 21 women among a 471-strong trades workforce.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) published advice for employers, suggesting that they make their diversity goals public, put together diverse interview panels when hiring people for jobs, and stick to inclusive language. Avoid obviously discriminating terms that continue to be used in job ads such as “tradesman”, for example.<\/p>\n “There is certainly still a long way to go” in terms of gender equality, says Kevin Wellman, chief executive of CIPHE.<\/p>\n Ms Hasan agrees – and makes one final point. Women can bring new and improved approaches to plumbing, beyond simply expanding the workforce. People, she suggests, should stop questioning whether women can be merely “as good as” a man.<\/p>\n “Since when has the way men do things been the high bar that we all have to reach?” she says, with a laugh. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n