emh group is helping to break the boundaries of gender and age stereotypes with its latest crop of apprentices.

Among the technician apprentices in the housing association’s Academy are 18-year-old Vicky Halliday and Karen Penman, 37.

Both are training as housing, maintenance and electrical technicians on the multi-trade apprenticeship programme with emh group Academy.

The four-year training programmes consists of a mixture of on-the-job work experience with the multi-award-winning housing association and practical training at Leicester College. The two trainees are learning plumbing, carpentry, painting and decorating, plastering and electrical skills.

Ex postal worker Karen believes the key to breaking down gender boundaries is to offer more taster classes at schools.

“I just don’t think girls know that there is even an option for them to go into the trades,” she says. “More often than not, trades work is seen as a man’s job whereas the truth is that women can do it too. I hope that through my work, when I have qualified, I will inspire more women and girls to believe that they can do it too and that trade work it is not just a man’s world.”

Multi-award-winning emh group hopes the move will not only challenge the norms in a sector traditionally dominated by men but also help to diversify the support it provides for residents.

“Our residents include vulnerable adults and children, so having a diverse workforce helps us to provide appropriate support,” explains Chris Swaine, emh group’s Learning and Development manager (Academy). “For example, residents who have been victims of domestic violence may feel uneasy letting a male technician into their home, and some older residents may feel more comfortable having a female technician come in, especially if they live alone. We are now in the 21st Century, and more women should have careers in construction or housing.”

The group which provides over 18000 homes across the East Midlands hopes the initiative will also have an impact on its own organisation and the neighbourhoods it serves.

Now in its third year, emh group Academy has had a string of successes and recently won a prestigious title at the regional National Apprenticeship Service Awards when it was named Newcomer Large Employer of the Year. This follows on from 2013 where a team of apprentices from the Academy featured in the national Apprentice Team of the Year competition, coming 4th nationally from over 92 teams and 800 apprentices. Locally, the Academy won Leicester College’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Apprenticeships by an Employer.