The future is female
It turns out the unlikely pairing of fashion and engineering isn’t quite so unlikely after all…
What comes to mind when you think of high-end fashion photography? Glamour, celebrities and ankle-breaking heels may well be in there somewhere. But one word that probably doesn’t rush to the fore is ‘engineering.’ Well, it might be time for a rethink. The latest group of Instastalkable models to pose for portraits in the same studios as Kendall Jenner, the Spice Girls and David Bowie are the finalists of the Young Woman Engineer (YWE) of the Year Awards.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has partnered with London’s Rankin Studios to create ‘Portrait Of An Engineer,’ introducing you to the women behind some of the most exciting projects in the industry – like Roma Agrawal, a previous finalist of the YWE Awards, who spent six years working on The Shard. The series was shot by award-winning photographer Vicky Lawton, and there wasn’t a hard hat or steel-toecapped boot in sight.
“It was important to me to capture each of the women’s individual personalities in the portraits, and show that their work is as varied as their characters,” said Lawton. “I loved meeting this cool, eclectic group of seriously powerful individuals, and translating that determination and inner confidence into the imagery.”
One of last year’s winners, Bethan Murray, was recently featured on the Channel 4 show Escape. The programme showcased a team of engineers who were tasked with escaping from harsh terrain at the site of a simulated vehicle crash.
A report by not-for-profit organisation Engineering
“ENGINEERS MAKE UP ALMOST 20% OF THE UK WORKFORCE, BUT WE NEED MORE”
UK states that engineers make up almost 20% of the total UK workforce, but we need more. According to the report, 186,000 people with engineering skills are needed by the industry annually, from now until 2024, to meet demand. But despite that, women currently make up just 9% of UK engineers – the lowest in Europe. So while others have been jumping from unpaid internship to unpaid internship, these women have never missed a trick.
Jo Foster, IET Diversity and Inclusion Manager, said the reality of the industry isn’t what we all think: “Engineering is an exciting and highly paid career. It’s diverse, creative and offers the opportunity to do something life- or even world-changing.”
Changing the world is all part of the day job for Yewande Akinola, winner of the 2012 YWE Award, who’s designed sustainable water supply systems in Africa, the Middle East and East Asia.
Whether you’re creative or more methodical, whether you want a career in design and innovation, solving problems every day, or if artificial intelligence is your thing and research makes you tick, engineering has a huge range of opportunities you may never have heard of – and you definitely need to.
“IT’S DIVERSE, CREATIVE AND OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING LIFE- OR EVEN WORLD-CHANGING”