Young Women in Engineering. Breaking Stereotypes, Break the Bias

Did you know that in the UK, only 12% of engineers are female? This is the lowest representation in Europe so clearly there is work to be done to elevate the view of engineering as a career path for women in this country.?

With this in mind we’ve asked three of our female engineers why they chose engineering, how perceptions are changing and what can be done to encourage more women into the sector?

Hannah Magowan joined Dale Power Solutions as an apprentice after finishing her GCSEs she is currently studying for her Degree in?Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I chose engineering as it’s the perfect balance between the academic and creative sides of my brain.?I have always been strong in STEM subjects and loved a challenge whilst also loving being practical and creative. Engineering combines the two and allows me to have a varied job role, some days will be theory heavy, trying to solve problems, some days I will be brainstorming new ideas, and some days I will be hands on in the factory.

What are your thoughts on changing perceptions?

Changing people’s perceptions of women in engineering starts with changing people’s perceptions of engineering. I think there is a stereotypical picture of an engineer and it’s not a glamorous one that usually involves a man working in a factory covered in oil.?

I don’t think people know about the variety of jobs and opportunities in engineering.?This could be projects that make an environmental impact for example sustainable energy solutions,?working on structural bridges or creating and designing new cars. These things are all within the engineering sector but aren’t necessarily what springs to mind.?

How can we attract more women into the sector?

I think the main way to attract more women into the sector is to provide better careers advise to students. Unless you are applying for an engineering job, chances are you have never been into an engineering environment and therefore it’s easy to accept the stereotypes.?The engineering industry is a lot wider and more varied than people know.?

Alice Glover is an Applications Engineer. She completed her higher apprenticeship last year and since joining Dale Power Solutions has spent many hours in local schools and at event such as Scarborough Science and Engineering Week, promoting STEM subjects and engineering.?

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I chose engineering as it was a way to use my practical mind while still allowing me to gain qualifications and work full time toward a long-term career with future prospects; the world will always need engineers! I have always been good at maths and held practical skills, engineering felt like a good option which would lead me into a career I enjoy and see myself doing long-term.

What are your thoughts on changing perceptions?

The perception of women within engineering is changing for the better and even within the 8 short years I have been working within the industry I can see a difference; we are definitely heading in the right direction which will hopefully in turn encourage more young women to consider it as a career path.?

?How can we attract more women into the sector?

To attract more women into the sector I believe companies need to me more open and progressive and share what they do. We need to squash the stereotype that all engineering business are stuck in the dark ages and that all engineers are middle-aged men (some of them are and the ones I know tend to be very nice!!). As an industry I believe we just need to more open about what our jobs involve; everyone knows of engineering but don’t know how vast and varied the engineering industry is.

Sam Magowan joined Dale Power Solutions as an apprentice after her A Levels.?In December 2021 she completed her degree, which she took as part of her apprenticeship journey.?In 2019 Sam was awarded the Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices?by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) at the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I chose engineering by accident. I really enjoyed maths at school and knew after sixth form I didn’t want to go straight to university. I decided to opt for an apprenticeship, thinking that if I picked a company that would let me try lots of different areas then I would get to see what I actually liked doing as job. I also knew engineering was good if you liked maths and science, so I chose an apprenticeship at Dale Power Solutions which offered both these things. Once I started, I realised just how diverse engineering actually was – and that’s just within one business!?

I met other apprentices at college,?learnt more about what they do and was so surprised at how broad engineering was and how many completely different career paths there could be in one area. I really enjoy the problem-solving and that fact that engineering is also really quite creative as you are thinking up new ideas every day.

What are your thoughts on changing perceptions?

I think perceptions on engineering need to change. I didn’t really know what engineering was when I started working, so raising awareness is essential. Young people need to be aware of the opportunities and career paths that are available to them, and the different skills needed in engineering. I think that once people know that engineering isn’t just fixing cars or installing house electrics then perceptions will very quickly change. Designing, programming, problem solving, even some sales roles require engineering knowledge; a career in engineering is so much more diverse than what people think of when they picture an engineer.?

How can we attract more women into the sector?

More women need to be attracted to the engineering sector, simply because engineering is problem solving, and in order to do this you need people who think differently and approach the problem from as many different perspectives as possible. If only 12% of engineers in the UK are women, we are missing out on women’s viewpoints when designing new products.

In order to attract more women into the sector, I think the answer lies with how we approach STEM in schools. STEM subjects are labelled as hard, academic subjects, with little emphasis put on their relevance in the real world. By making STEM more relevant and interesting, and encouraging girls to pursue and enjoy STEM subjects at school, would make a big difference to the percentage of women choosing a career in engineering.

#Breakthebias #WomenInEngineering #WomenInEnergy

Learn about Dale Power Solutions’ award-winning apprenticeship programme.

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/08/the-real-reason-female-engineers-are-still-a-rarity-in-the-uk/