Women are still often underrepresented in many academic disciplines and industry sectors, and this is particularly applicable to engineering and the built environment. In its 2015 skills survey, The Institution of Engineering and Technology highlighted that only 9% of the engineering industry workforce is female. Whether this is the fault of educators, industry, or a disconnect between the two is certainly a subject for debate.
Beyond that though, some subjects and jobs demonstrate a gender divide for social reasons. These require education to debunk myths, such as that being an engineer means wearing overalls and getting your hands dirty. Young people need access to role models who can change their preconceived ideas about degree subjects and careers.
This video tells the story of Birmingham City University’s response to these challenges. By engaging with local schools, organising an event specifically for young women, and inviting female engineers to come and work with them on a practical project, BCU are playing their part in promoting engineering and the built environment as an appealing option to women to consider when they leave school.
The teams' structures were subjected to a particularly unforgiving test
This issue isn’t ‘just’ about diversity either. According to Engineering UK's 2016 report, between 2012 and 2022 engineering companies will need to recruit for 257,000 new vacancies. If this demand can be met, it would generate an additional £27 billion GDP per year. Getting more women into engineering can be a big step towards meeting this demand and boosting the UK economy.
Supported by teachers and industry mentors, the students build their own design
Here are the two reports I've mentioned in this post: