CASE STUDY: FORESTRY COMMISSION
Recruitment practises revised following report on the under-representation of women in the industry.
The design and implementation of the research was excellent and was delivered on schedule.
- Marcus Sangster, Head of Land Use and Social Research, Forestry Commission
Scenario
The Forestry Commission wanted to have a better understanding of why women were under-represented in the british forestry industry.
First steps
Research was carried out with men and women currently working in forestry, together with employers and forestry students to:
- Give a picture of the number of women in the profession
- Identify the jobs they did
- Ascertain barriers to entry
- Identify issues experienced during employment and career development
The same data was also gathered for male foresters. A mix of techniques to gather information was used due to the geographically dispersed and often remote workforce.
Results
A comprehensive report of the findings and a set of pragmatic proposals and recommendations for the Industry as a whole were produced. Issues specific to the Forestry Commission were separately presented to the Commission.
The report has gained significant interest across the industry in the UK and overseas since its publication. A coordinated approach to recruitment for both men and women has been developed between the Forestry Commission, other industry employers, trade bodies and universities. The Commission has implemented a number of the recommendations within its own organisation.
The report, Professional Women Foresters in the British Forestry Industry, is available for download in PDF format, either here, on the Wildcat One Papers page.