* * * VI | * * * CAREERS IN ENGINEERING| EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES


Step forward for a fairer deal


The profession benefits from its female employees, so don’t be afraid to challenge gender stereotyping, says Gabrielle Collett-White


According to a recent report by Engineering UK, “women remain one of the country’s most under-utilised resources”. Fewer than 7% of British engineers are women — the lowest proportion of engineering professionals in any EU country. The problem starts at school. “Gender stereotyping is worse than ever,” says Terry Marsh, director of Women into Science, Engineering and Construction (WISE), an organisation that promotes the sectors to girls. It doesn’t help that science subjects such as physics have an image issue. “Recent research by WISE shows that girls perceive the subject as dry and dull,” says Marsh, who adds that girls who want to pursue sciences in secondary education tend to be channelled into medicine and biochemistry instead. Latest figures (January 2010, Semta) show that, internationally, the UK’s graduation rate for women from engineering degree courses (15%) is significantly below the European (20%) and world (19%) average rates. And even when women do enter the workforce, they are far more likely to leave, with almost twice as many females as males choosing to abandon the sector altogether. Sarah Pemberton, lead consultant


at the UK Resource Centre for Women (UKRC), a governmental organisation promoting gender equality in science, engineering and technology, points out that concerns about practical issues can put women off careers in the sector. “Traditionally many engineering industries are male-dominated and have long shift patterns that are not conducive to family life,” she says. “Things are getting better and there are some really good employers out there. However this perception of engineering is stopping women entering the profession.” This issue is now being tackled,


not least by companies keen to make use of talented female engineers. Debbie Meech, people director at communications company Cable&Wireless Worldwide, knows how essential it is to make engineering jobs attractive across the gender divide. “It’s important for us to recognise that work is just one aspect of a colleague’s life, so we try to make our approach to work as family


Job well done: main image, a female engineer working for British Gas; below, Dr Katie Perry, manager, Daphne Jackson Trust


friendly as possible,” says Meech. “Without a great team of motivated people in the organisation, we won’t achieve our ambitions as a business.” While many businesses are now making it easier for women to stay in work with flexible working and family friendly policies, independent charity the Daphne Jackson Trust is helping them to get back on the career ladder after a long break. “If you’re an engineer and you


take a career break of two or more years, you are no longer competitive because things move on and you need retraining — especially in research,” says Dr Katie Perry, manager of the trust, which helps SET (science, engineering, technology and the built environment) employees get back to work after an extended period away. Most fellowships are given to women wanting to get back into a SET job after having a family, and companies including Rolls-Royce, Cable&Wireless, GlaxoSmithKline and British Gas have taken on the trust’s fellows in the past. The trust is currently working with the National Physical Laboratory and British Energy. “We would love companies to come to us — they must realise that they need to address this issue,” says Perry. “We can place returnees if we can find those companies willing to take on a Daphne Jackson fellow.” Perry explains that many firms are reluctant to take on returnees, choosing instead to employ via the regular channels, but they may be missing a trick if they do. “The current economic climate


may be to our advantage,” she says. “Companies are looking to save money, so someone who is already trained would seem like a natural choice. Moreover, qualities such as good time management and multi-tasking — skills that raising a family requires — are transferable. The economic benefits sing out. We need a change of attitude and culture – returnees are an incredibly valuable untapped resource that should not be ignored.” The UKRC, the government’s lead organisation for tackling the under-representation of women in the SET professions, is supporting the Women in Engineering Forum at the National Engineering &


Construction Recruitment


(NECR) Exhibition in Birmingham, on November 26. “It will be a great networking opportunity, giving women the chance to make new contacts and hear from women who have carved out a successful career in this tough, male-dominated industry,” says Pemberton. “If you don’t engage with 50 per cent of available talent then you are missing out. Companies are beginning to realise this and know that they have to adapt to attract the best people.” But it is not a one-sided equation.


“Women, like everyone else, have to think about what they can do to give themselves the competitive edge – whether this is further training, mentoring schemes or being more persistent with a potential employer,” explains Pemberton.


» LECTURER IN POWER SYSTEMS DANIELLE STRICKLAND, 40


Strickland (right) studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University — one of seven girls out of 120 students — before doing a PhD at Cambridge University. “My first job was as a power systems engineer in the Electrical Power Group at energy provider e.on, but once my second child was born I decided to leave,” says Strickland. After six months, she took a part-time teaching job at Sheffield University. Strickland wanted to get back into research, but being out of touch for


so long made it difficult: “There was no real career path for me — I needed help to kick-start things again.” She applied for a fellowship at the Daphne Jackson Trust and was accepted with sponsorship from Rolls-Royce. After a year, Rolls-Royce offered her a job looking into the electrical power systems on aircraft. To fit in with her family life, they agreed on flexible hours. “I worked with a brilliant team and being part-time did not affect my chances of promotion — within two years I was team leader,” she says.


After a number of roles, including electrical system specialist, power and control engineer and team leader power and controls, Strickland left Rolls-Royce in 2009 for her current position as lecturer at Birmingham’s Aston University. Her part-time work — 27 hours a week — is on a pro rata rate of £47,000 for a 46-hour week. She advises women entering the profession to be open about their needs at interview: “Negotiate what you require from the start. The greater the number of women who ask for flexibility, the more companies there will be that realise it can work.”


* * * * * * THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2010 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH The Daily Telegraph


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