Need more girls in engineering

Engineering is one sector where women remain woefully under-represented – just nine per cent of UK engineers is female.

Of course, it’s not the only industry or profession in which women are underrepresented, but given the escalating skills crisis in engineering, it’s one that is particularly worth highlighting.

Put bluntly, we need more young people to become engineers if the sector is to continue to fuel the UK economy, so we can’t afford to be failing to attract 50 per cent of the population.

Thegoodnewsisthatwe’re already starting to make inroads in this area.

This year for example, more than half of the IET’s Diamond Jubilee Scholarships were awarded to female students.

And, each year, we shine a light onthebrightest andbest female engineers though our YoungWomanEngineerofthe Year awards.

We’realsoseeingmorerecognitionoftherolethatfemale engineers have played in our world, with the Hidden Figures film telling the incredible story of the women who served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.

An upcoming CBeebies series, Bitz andBobspromisesto bringthedelightsof engineering to pre-school children. We all have a role to play. Industry could do more, especially in marketing their jobs to women.

Therearesomegoodexamples of companies who show creative ways of reaching out to women with their job adverts and flexible working patterns, and the results have been very positive.

The challenge may be great, but it’s important we persevere in raising awareness, recognising talent and promoting inspiring female engineering role models.

Only by doing so will we be able to convince more girls that engineering is a creative, exciting andrewardingcareer choice. Jeremy Watson President Institution of Engineering and Technology