Law firm HBJ Gateley and gender equality body Equate Scotland have joined forces to provide free legal advice to Scottish companies which want to attract and retain professional women.
The initiative, which launches on March 16 at the Teacher Building in Glasgow, is aimed at companies in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries, and will provide firms in those sectors with legal guidance on the issues involved in actively recruiting female staff and managing a more diverse workforce.
The new service from HBJ Gateley and Equate Scotland will provide employers with free access to expert guidance from the firm’s employment law team.
Photo courtesy of HBJ Gateley
It’s hoped the partnership will help to address STEM industry skills shortages, by giving employers the knowledge and confidence to develop ‘best practice’ policies that will help them recruit and retain more female staff. More than 70% of women with a STEM qualification no longer work in the sector, and in the engineering sector alone estimates suggest that 10 per cent of the workforce will need to be replaced by 2016.
One of the main obstacles for women in STEM industries is the lack of flexible working practices, according to Equate Scotland.
Linda Somerville, project director for Equate Scotland based at Edinburgh Napier University, said being able to attract and retain talented female staff could help to address skills shortages and give companies a competitive edge.
Case study – McEvoy Engineering
Steel fabrication business McEvoy Engineering is enjoying a period of growth, but like most SMEs, that presents a resource challenge in finding the right people to meet customer demand.
Alison McEvoy, business development manager for the firm said being able to access legal advice on creating flexible work patterns would remove a burden and allow it to focus on sustaining growth. Alison also said bringing in more women could help them to find skilled people at a time of significant shortage for the industry and added that a balanced workforce could also be a differentiator in bidding for major contracts.
