• • • TRADE SKILLS • • •
ENGINEERING INCLUSION:
STRENGTHENING THE FUTURE WORKFORCE THROUGH WINSTEM
A structured approach to
BY PROFESSOR ANASTASIA SOFRONIOU, CHAIR, WINSTEM
A
cross engineering and technology sectors, one persistent challenge remains: widening participation and ensuring that talent is not lost due to barriers of perception, confidence or representation
While progress has been made, women remain underrepresented in many engineering and computing disciplines. Addressing this imbalance is not simply a question of equity, it is a matter of innovation, sustainability and the long-term strength of the profession.
Since its founding in 2022 within the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of West London, Women in STEM (WInSTEM) has sought to address this challenge through structured, sustained and measurable engagement. What began as a focused initiative has evolved into a vibrant and visible platform supporting girls and women from primary education through to industry leadership.
22 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING •MARCH 2026
broadening participation WInSTEM was established with a clear mission: to inspire, support and empower women and girls to pursue pathways in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Rather than relying on symbolic gestures or one-off events, the initiative adopted a multi-layered model combining outreach, mentorship, industry engagement, academic visibility and student recognition. In just over three years, WInSTEM has delivered more than 90 activities across:
• School outreach and hands-on engineering workshops
• Public lectures and technical talks • Industry networking events
• Judging hackathons and robotics competitions • Mentoring programmes • National STEM campaigns
• Community and widening participation initiatives
This structured engagement has helped build a continuous pipeline from early inspiration in school classrooms to leadership development in higher education and professional practice. These activities form part of a wider commitment within the University of West London and the School of Computing and Engineering to
develop the next generation of engineering talent. By embedding outreach and inclusion initiatives within the academic environment, the University aims to ensure that engineering education is both accessible and responsive to the changing demands of the profession.
Engineering outreach:
from awareness to aspiration A recurring barrier to female participation in engineering is early perception. Many girls disengage from STEM subjects not because of lack of ability, but due to limited exposure to relatable role models or practical application. WInSTEM’s outreach model addresses this directly. Activities include:
• Hands-on engineering workshops demonstrating real-world applications of mathematics and computing
• Talks on women pioneers in electrical engineering, computing and digital innovation • Career pathway sessions highlighting routes into power systems, robotics, AI, communications and sustainable infrastructure
• Participation in national events such as Black History Month, Ada Lovelace Day and International Women’s Day.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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