A training organisation is hoping to put women back in the home - building them, that is.
Womens'tec, a Belfast-based group dedicated to training females in non-traditional skills, hopes its new programme, Trading Places Citywide, will boost the number of women working in Northern Ireland's construction industry.
Currently, just 3% of women are working in construction at craft level in Northern Ireland.
"Women are under-represented in non-traditional skills sectors, and precisely those sectors suffer from a chronic shortage of skilled professionals," said Anne McVicker chief executive of Women'stec. "Our aim is to end this shortage.
"We are not trying to replicate training that is already available elsewhere, so we bring women's skills up to speed in construction trades for them to finalise their qualifications through BIFHE or other relevant colleges."
McVicker said that research in other parts of Europe shows that women in the construction trade have been equally as popular with customers as their male counterparts, and most show a very high level of job satisfaction.
The programme will help women take up courses in joinery, brickwork, plastering and plumbing and offer support through the duration of their studies.
Women'stec will offer childcare support for lone parents who want to invest time and effort in attending prevocational courses in a range of trades.
The group also runs a programme, Girl Power, aimed at getting young girls to consider future careers in non-traditional trades.
