Formedil organises its multiplier event with this interesting focus group.

The 13th of October was carried out the focus group with young students of the vocational education and training course for construction workers. The focus group born from the collaboration of two training schools Piacenza and Parma both in Emilia Romagna region. 13 students participated, males between 15 and 20 years old.

The three main a reas covered by the focus group form which he opinions of the young people were inferred were environment- vocation – education. The title of focus group was: potential prejudices about gender work in the construction sector.

Some conclusion from the hole answers

The first conclusion concerns the sector and the other the women in the relationship with the sector.

• Resistance to classic stereotypes in the construction industry is reiterated and is very evident. In particular the physical strength, it is a tiring and dirty sector. Few interviewees motivated to enter the construction industry, the rest of the interviewees chose it beca use it was easy and of immediate gain.
• Women prefer to stay at home and prefer to do other jobs (curious that you speak for women and not speak for themselves) and that the construction sector is a male sector.

Area Vocation/Profession

Also in this section cultural resistance is evident. In addition to the awareness that women are strongly isolated in the sector, it is clear that there is a poor image of the entire sector and the construction professions, construction remains the last choice for those who do not want to study and want an immediate gain. Lack of true professionalization.

Area Environment

The image of a highly masculine sector remains strong, with great stereotypes not only related to gender but also to the construction profession. The low positive image of the sector generates the “depopulation” of manual professions.

You can clearly perceive the prejudice that training is not necessary to work in the sector, you learn directly on the construction site. In addition, vocational training is not perceived as an enrichment of knowledge and skills but the attitude is the prevailing one common to the community in general that it is an alternative to a school currículum and therefore a series b education.

Possible improvement strategies

• Strengthen the orientation to the professions starting from low schooling with the involvement of both genders.
• Producing positive images of the industry with highly qualified products: restorations produced by women, energy efficient houses for which the construction know-how is high and professionalizing.

Produce reflections on the fact that :

• We all live in houses and that those who build them have great responsibilities.
• Those who build belonging to different gen res have different opinions and personalized professionalism.
• That we ali walk a long roads and bridges that need to be built.
• Spread the images of the sector where there are women working.
• Orient men on the entry of women on the construction site: promoting team games, simulations, not only aimed at workers but also at entrepreneurs.

The group interviewed was very impressed with the vision of the women workers interviewed for the WCB Project. They did not think there could be working women on the construction site.