Many girls are put off working in the construction industry due to biased careers advice, a survey suggests.
The poll by the construction sector skills council ConstructionSkills found 70% of girls felt discouraged from entering male-dominated industries.
In the survey of 2,400 girls between the ages of 11 and 18, 42% thought the options presented to them were limited on the basis of their gender.
The skills council is launching a campaign to promote opportunities in construction.
Almost two-thirds (62%) of girls questioned said they would be happy to work in male-dominated industries but felt they did not get the advice and information they needed.
ConstructionSkills is launching a television advertising campaign to highlight the 88,000 jobs it says are on offer in construction.
Careers advisers should ensure they are up to date about the types of roles available in the industry and make sure they portray it accurately, it said.
Paul Sykes, recruitment manager for ConstructionSkills, said all the evidence suggested girls were interested in pursuing careers in construction, but careers advice had not kept up with the modern industry or the aspirations of the girls themselves.
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“As an industry, we are taking the step of getting directly to young women to show them the range of amazing jobs on offer,” he said.
