FEATURE INDUSTRY COMMENTARY THE FUTURE IS FEMALE


Boss Training’s managing director Andrew Murphy discusses the role of women in engineering, and why we need more women working in this sector


T


he UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in


Europe, with countries like Bulgaria and Cyprus leading the way with a 30 per cent female workforce. In 2017, only 15.1 per cent of our engineering undergraduates were women, a stark contrast with countries like India, with double the rate of female engineering undergrads at 30 per cent. This is certainly an interesting


conundrum if you consider the fact that the UK was one of the first countries to allow women to study and receive certification at academic level in Mathematics and Science, and that there have been many female engineers worthy of admiration in our country’s history including, Henrietta Vansittart (1833 – 1883), who developed the propellers used by the famous ocean liner the Lusitania; Hertha Ayrton (1854 – 1923), an award- winning engineer, famous for her research in Electric Arcs; Dame Caroline Haslett (1895 – 1957), an electrical engineer heavily involved in the development of electro domestics; Beatrice Shilling (1909 – 1990), the aeronautical engineer who invented a type of metal washer to prevent Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire fighters and Rolls-Royce Merlin engines from stalling during tactical manoeuvres; and Ailie MacAdam, the engineer behind the


24 NOVEMBER 2018 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING


refurbishment of St Pancras International station in London, as well as many other prominent Crossrail projects. There is no doubt that women make


more than capable engineers. So why is only 11 per cent of the UK’s engineering workforce female? Kristen Bodley, CEO of The Women’s


Engineering Society (WES), believes there is a lack of awareness about what engineering actually involves, how broad it is as an area of study, and just how much it impacts everyday life. She argues that the misconception that engineering is a non-creative, male-orientated industry has affected women’s interest in the sector. Ailie MacAdam, senior vice president of


Bechtel Corporation, argued something similar when interviewed by The Telegraph. She believes that women have a natural propensity to want to improve things and make them more efficient, and that if they knew just how much engineering helps disadvantaged communities and impacts people’s lives, the environment and sustainability, there would be a bigger intake of women in engineering fields.


DIVERSE WORKFORCE In 2017, a report on the state of engineering in the UK concluded that we still have an estimated annual skills


shortfall of up to 60,000, meaning that we need to at least double the number of UK university engineering students in order to meet industry demands. Like during World War II, when women became a prominent part of manufacturing and engineering due to a shortage of workforce, today’s skills shortage might call on them to take roles in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields once again. To bridge the gender gap, much effort


has been placed on encouraging women to go into engineering careers, a move we believe will greatly benefit the industry and the economy as a whole. Recent studies also indicate that


companies are 15 per cent more likely to perform better if they have a diverse workforce. Diversity is also considered key for innovation. In a recent global survey, 85 per cent of talent and corporate diversity leaders agreed that diversity encourages different perspectives, increasing the generation and refinement of ideas, and driving innovation. As training providers for the Engineering


sector, we here at Boss Training want to see more women joining the professional ranks as engineers, especially if this will strengthen and grow the industry, generate innovation and improve performance.


Boss Training bosstraining.co.uk / ELECTRICALENGINEERING


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