GIRLS were being taught that anything boys can do they can do better at Exeter College’s Women in Construction Day on Friday 2nd February.

The college’s construction training centre at Falcon House, Sowton, invited forty girls from secondary schools across Devon to find out more about careers in the building industry. They attended hands-on workshops in carpentry, brickwork and electrical installation and also had the chance to chat to construction tutors and students.

Organiser and civil engineering and construction lecturer Nick Thom from Exeter College said: “The day is about challenging stereotypes and giving girls more opportunities and choices. There has been a gender imbalance in the industry for a long time. We are starting to see a few more girls on our construction courses but we rarely get female bricklayers or carpenters.”

“If you never pick up a chisel or trowel you will never know if you are interested in the subject. There is nothing on our courses that a boy can do and a girl can’t and there has started to be a huge demand for females in the construction industry.”