Women are being encouraged to take up a trade and get into the electrical sector through a new bursary scheme.

The UK’s leading body for registered electricians, NICEIC, has this month launched the bursary, which offers grants to women already working as an electrician or those looking to get a helping hand at the start of their career.

It is open to females of all ages and the grant can help cover training, equipment or other associated costs up to a maximum of £500.

One female electrician who received bursary funds last year was 41-year-old Amanda Pugh from High Wycombe, who used the funding to set up a website for her business, Amanda Electrics.

Commenting on her experience, Amanda said: “I was just starting out on my own and although I had help with some of the training, and was fortunate enough to already have my own tools, I still had to pay for additional courses, books, registration, insurance, website fees, business cards, work clothing and other tools. This totalled several thousand pounds.

“The bursary from NICEIC helped offset some of the costs and meant I was able to start making money from my work sooner. The set up costs were more than I anticipated when I first decided to do this.”

Amanda said her new website has been a worthwhile investment.

She said: “I love it. I love being able to complete work then stand back and see exactly what I have done, recognising how it has improved someone else’s home either in safety, function, aesthetics or all three.

“I like being a sole trader. I like the flexibility it affords me and being able to set the timescale and resources so that I know I have what I need to do the job to the standard I think it should be done.”

Having now made her way in the sector she is keen to highlight the opportunities it presents to other women.

“I think NICEIC’s Jobs for the Girls campaign is a great one and very worthwhile. The fact that there are so few women in the industry demonstrates how far we have yet to go, however my own experience of being accepted so easily into the industry by clients, other electricians and other tradespeople also demonstrates how far we have come.”

The bursary, which is now in its second year, forms part of NICEIC’s wider ‘Jobs for the Girls’ campaign, which was set up in 2011.

It aims to educate women on the opportunities available to them in the electrical trade, as well as dispel the myth that it’s a job only suited to men.

Paul Collins, from NICEIC, said: “Our bursary scheme aims to help more women into the electrical industry, which is still massively under-represented by females.

“Our research suggests that just one in every 100 electricians is female. If we can help out those women who are just starting out or inspire others who might be thinking about a career in the electrical industry, then we will be well on the way to addressing the gender imbalance.”

You can apply at www.niceic.com/jobsforthegirls/bursary. The deadline is April 30.