30 by 30: Promoting women in engineering

“Dream It! Believe It! Be It!”

That is the message that the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGS) wants to send to girls and young women in the province.

Why do we need to send this message? Women make up more than half of the Canadian population but are significantly underrepresented in the engineering profession. Nation-wide, about 17 per cent of practicing licensed engineers are women. Saskatchewan is at 12 per cent. On an encouraging note, in 2016 newly licenced women engineers reached 16.5 per cent, but there is still a long way to go.

The professions need women to bring a fresh perspective and ideas to design and the design process. Women will solve problems that others do not see.

APEGS has joined Engineers Canada and all other provincial and territorial engineering associations across the country to commit to a goal of raising the percentage of newly licensed engineers who are women to 30 per cent by the year 2030 – an initiative dubbed 30 by 30.

APEGS’s 30 by 30 Task Group is working for ways to support women to continue a long and successful career in the professions. Some of its recent activities have included:

Partnering with government and other organizations to make “Dream It! Believe It! Be It!” a reality.

Reaching out to career educators to help them understand what career opportunities exist for girls and boys in the fields of Engineering and Geoscience.

Attending career fairs and providing classroom material that brings awareness to the professions from K to 12.

Fostering an understanding of what engineers and geoscientists contribute to society. Watch for APEGS to appear at festivals and public events in the coming years.

Developing new bursaries to be offered at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina to encourage women to study engineering and geoscience.

Providing title sponsorship for the Saskatchewan Science Centre’s Kramer IMAX showing of Dream Big – Engineering Our World!

Sponsoring a “Girls Night Out” – an evening for elementary and high school student to view the IMAX film, try out engineering and geoscience activities and network with women engineers.

And much more in development….