Happy National Women in Engineering Day!

While attention today falls on the EU referendum, 23 June also marks the third annual staging of National Women in Engineering Day. The event was initially organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2014 to celebrate its 95^th anniversary and recognises the achievements of female engineers while promoting equality within the industry.

Britain has the lowest ratio of female engineers - just nine per cent of those in the profession are women, while only one in six engineering and technology graduates is female according to WES. With Engineering UK estimating that the number of annual recruits into UK engineering needs to double by 2020 in order to meet demand, it’s clear that the shortage of female engineers is exacerbating the well-publicised skills shortage in the sector.

There can be several reasons for women to be deterred by engineering:

•          The misconception of engineering as a ‘dirty hands’ profession
•          A lack of awareness of the scope for creativity and problem-solving
•          A concern of potentially being the only female in a male-dominated workplace
•         The trend for girls who are proficient in maths and science at school to become doctors or vets

As a long-time provider of apprenticeships and careers for young engineers, here at Gibbons we’re always disappointed at the lack of female applicants so we applaud the WES for their efforts in promoting this exciting, rewarding and valuable occupation.

We’re often looking to add talented people to our engineering team, from apprentices to fully-qualified personnel. We’re always delighted to speak to men and women interested in a career with us, so to find out more, talk to one of our friendly team on 01621 868138 or email info@gibbonsgroup.co.uk.