Sixty years ago, in the wake of D-Day, the cry went out to women across Britain to train as mechanics, engineers and drivers.

Today, that call was being repeated as Bradford College spearheaded a national campaign to encourage women to fill key positions in industry.

The college, in partnership with the Equal Opportunities Commission and other members of the Joint Interven-tions (JIVE) consortium, has unveiled a huge poster campaign to alert women to opportunities in areas like plumbing and engineering.

The campaign features case studies of a range of real women who are happily employed in jobs traditionally not thought of as being suitable for women. And it adopts a retro 1950s-style look to point out that stereotypes about women and work are often out of date.

The four posters are backed up with a website featuring details of career paths and inspirational case studies, plus a leaflet and special helpline featuring useful advice.

According to Jenny Watson, deputy chairman of the EOC, a recent survey showed one in two women said the careers advice they were given was influenced by their gender.

"People should be able to make choices about the jobs they want to do without being held back by outdated stereotypes," she said. "We know that this is something people feel strongly about.

"But it's not always easy for people to find out about the full range of jobs available.

"We want this campaign to get women thinking about the opportunities in areas of work traditionally done by men and to give them the knowledge and confidence to find out more."

Last December, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Sainsbury announced that Bradford College would become a national centre of excellence in the effort to attract women into science, engineering and technology.

It has been working in the field since 1998 and, as part of the JIVE project, teamed up with nine other centres in the UK and overseas.

Ros Wall, JIVE implementation manager at Bradford, said the district's shortage of workers in areas such as construction was typical of the UK.

And JIVE partners careers co-ordinator Pat Turrell said the jobs often paid twice the rates available in sectors such as childcare.

"Careers in engineering or construction give women the chance to affect the world we live in, while plumbing and information technology are

about improving the way we live," she said.

"Women can play a role in these industries and our experience shows that they can make a great success of it."

Charlene Heseltine, of Bradford, who has set-up her own website called thinkpink.co.uk featuring businesses run by women, has also welcomed the campaign.

She hoped it would be targeted at college students considering going to university to make them aware of the rewards of getting trained-up in a trade.

"It is all about challenging perceptions and I think images like this can have a big impact on you," she said.

The posters scheme is part of an ongoing investigation into the link between skills shortages and the under-representation of women in vital parts of the labour market.

The helpline is available from today on (01274) 436485.