From gender blind to gender focused: re-evaluating the scottish modern apprenticeship programme

This article outlines the research findings from an investigation carried out by the authors on behalf of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Scotland on the extent of the gender based occupational segregation in the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme in Scotland. The paper begins by highlighting the main arguments relating to the economic costs of occupational segregation. This is followed by an outline of how the MA programme operates in Scotland alongside a short discussion of recent research into evaluating the operation of MAs. A further section reports on the actual research findings. Finally the paper concludes by highlighting how a more gender aware, as opposed to gender blind, approach to policy design, implementation and evaluation should be considered with reference to the MA programme as it operates in Scotland.