Women working in science-based industries could be eligible for up to £600 in government funding for learning and development as part of a new programme to support the skills development of women working in ‘non-traditional’ technical roles.

The Women and Work Programme is being offered by Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for Science-Based Industries, and is available to fund any training course.

The programme is launched as part of a drive to support women working in technical and scientific roles, where skills gaps have been shown to limit women’s progression.

Joanna Woolf, Cogent CEO said: “Research by Cogent shows that women are under-represented across many roles in the Sector. But it doesn’t take research to understand that this is a traditionally male-dominated sector – with men making up around 72% of employees.

“The Women and Work project has a real capacity to change lives and perceptions of women in these industries. Importantly it is linked to business objectives with a real focus on adding-value through skills.”