Just five percent of those who have taken up apprenticeships in this region in the past five years have been women.
1,860 people have undertaken programmes with the Limerick and Clare Education Training Board since 2016.
There has been a marked increase in the number of people going into apprenticeship schemes throughout Clare and Limerick in the past number of years.
280 people took one up in 2016 according to a Clare FM Freedom of Information request – that jumped by 50 percent to 421 in 2019.
While it dropped slightly to 370 last year, this may be as a result of restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 1,860 people to become apprentices through LCETB programmes since 2016, just 101 – or 5 percent of them have been female.
While there is evidence of an increasing number of women taking up trades in the likes of financial services, hairdressing and hospitality, areas such as construction, electrics and the motor trade continue to be male-dominated.
Nearly half of all apprenticeships here in the past five years related to electrical services, with engineering, construction and the motor trade the next most popular activities for LCETB programmes.
