Britain’s Got Talented Female Engineers (Atkins, 2013)

8/18/2019 Britain’s Got Talented Female Engineers (Atkins, 2013)

1/32

1

Britain’s gottalentedfemale engineers

Successful women in engineering:A careers research study

In partnership with:

Led by


2/32

2


3/32

3

Every year thousands of young people choose

one of the best-paid careers: one that offersopportunities for foreign travel; has an enormousnumber of kinds of interesting work; is very well-respected; and has excellent career prospects– all the way from work experience, to getting your first job, to quickly advancing into management. Every yearthese young people are mostly boys.

The career (you may already have worked out) isengineering. And that imbalance of new engineers is oneproblem that engineering companies of all sizes really wantto solve.

Choosing a career is one of the big decisions most of

us face. On one hand there’s here and now: you, yourinterests, your ambitions and your abilities. On the otherlies your future: higher education, that first job, the careeryou might follow and the lifestyle you’d like. Often there’s avery understandable fear: If I commit now, what happens ifI have second thoughts?

So if you’re unsure about committing to any single careerthen turn to page five:- here, listed, are the job roles ofthe women engineers in this survey. Few, if any, otherdegrees or training can open as many doors as a degree inengineering.

Almost all of the 300 women engineers who helped inproducing this report agreed that for more girls to share thebenefits and rewards of working in engineering much moreawareness of what engineers do was vital.

We hope this report helps in increasing recognition thatachieving the status of engineer is the perfect starting pointfor a wide range of interesting and fulfilling careers.

Foreword


4/32

Engineeringgraduates infulltime work

85

83%

82

79

78

76

75

72

72

70

68

67

66

62

62

Graduates in fulltime work / course (ONS2012)

Proportion of female graduates / course(HESA 2013)

80

76

68

65

62

60

58

57

53

49

40

33

29

62

Proportion of femaleengineering graduates16%

Median gross weekly earnings of graduates / course (Labour Force Survey 2012)

Engineeringgraduateearnings

£712

£673

£646

£635

£615

£577

£577

£538

£481

£462

£462

£423

£418

£769

£865

4


5/32

5

The ‘pluses’ are

impressive. Engineeringstudents are second onlyto medics in securingfull-time jobs andearning good salaries.Yet the proportion of women in engineering coursesis extremely low – just one in seven. (The lowest for alluniversity courses.)

Behind this report is the desire to encourage even moregirls to regard engineering as a desirable and attainablecareer choice.

A unique first survey of women successfully followingcareers in engineering, this report asked them the keyquestions, including:

• What inspired you during your early years?

• Why did you become an engineer?

• How happy are you with your career choice?

• What do you think the industry should do to encouragemore women into engineering?

A startling perspective

inseven

one

women

studyengineeringcourses atuniversity


6/32

At Atkins we are committed to addressing the genderimbalance in our workforce, as well as in the wider sector.This determination is shared by our partners in this report,

BP, Rolls Royce and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

We know there are a number of surveys already out there,particularly looking at the reasons girls don’t chose STEMsubjects. But none of them asks female engineers why theychose engineering careers and whether they are fulfilled bytheir choice.

Our survey set out to learn more about what women inindustry feel about their own career paths and how they

think we can encourage more young women to follow intheir footsteps.

The results of this survey in themselves are inspirational:

In their early years:

• Many respondents didn’t study physics at school

•

Most women engineers (91%) had at least oneinspirational teacher

• 75% interested in problem solving/fixing things

• Knowing one or more engineers was frequentlyimportant.

Almost four in ten women had a family connection, mostfrequently their father, and 11% had a friend who was anengineer.

As professional engineers:

• Over 80% of female engineers are happy in their job

• 98% of women engineers find their job rewarding. Mostfrequently (80%) this reward came in the shape of thesuccessful projects their work had helped deliver

On perceptions of a career in engineering:

• Three-quarters believed engineering is still regarded asbeing ‘a male career’

• Just over two-thirds thought engineering was believedby too many to involve fixing engines

• Over half of the sample (55%) said they believedpotential students are being put off by an idea thatengineering is ‘too difficult’

• 43% said they believed engineers were thought to

require physical strength.

6

Executive summary


7/32


8/32

8

The survey contributors

RuthStevens

Subsea project engineer,BP

How do you explain what anengineer does?“Someone who sees a problem, usestheir maths and science skills, and appliesthese to solve that problem.”

What do women bring toengineering?“An alternative view of the world, amore diverse and inclusive work place.”

Demonstrating the range

of careers performed bygraduate engineers of bothgenders, only a minorityof the 300 women withengineering qualificationswho helped create thisreport said their job wasdescribed best in the term‘engineer’.


9/32

9

‘Technical’ (both senior and middle) better defined aquarter. One-in-seven were project directors or managers,one-in-eight were business managers.

Nearly, but not all, had a first degree. More than half(53%) had a Masters degree and one-in-twelve had wona doctorate. Some respondents had not taken the degreeroute and had worked their way up through the company.Younger women comprised a majority of the surveysample. Almost half were 25 – 34; 11% were under 25.

Most, 81%, had full time roles; 15% had part timepositions, and 4% worked flexible or contract hours.

Engineer

47%

Project manager /director

15%

Seniortechnical

13%

Consultant

12%

Middle technical

8%

Business manager

1%Other

4%

55 and over

2%

25-34

49%

19-24

11%

35-44

23%

45-54

14%

Flexible or contract hours 4%

Part time 15%

Full time

81%

Question: Which of the folowing best describes your position or current role in yourorganisation?

Question: Which of the folowing age ranges are you in?

Question: Which of the following best describes your job?


10/32

10

The thousandsof careers

“There are jobs inengineering I hadno idea existed

even during myengineering mastersdegree”

These are some of the jobtitles of this survey sampleof 300 women engineers.Literally thousands of

different careers are open toengineering students.


11/32

11

Sectors Aerospace

Aircraft EnginesAutomation Engineering

Automotive Aviation Building ServicesChemical EngineeringCivil AerospaceCivil and StructureCivil EngineeringCommunications

Computer EngineeringConstruction

DefenceElectrical Engineering

EnergyEngineering Consultancy

EnvironmentErgonomics EngineeringFlood Risk and Drainage

Geotechnics GPR EngineeringGround EngineeringHighways

Infrastructure Engineering

Legal ManufacturingMarine Mechanical Engineering

Medical DevicesMetallurgy

MiningNuclear EnergyOil and Gas (Operator)

Oil and Gas Control SystemsOil and Gas EngineeringRail & TransportationSafety EngineeringSafety EquipmentSecurity EngineeringShip DesignStructuralManagement

Structural EngineeringTechnical EngineerTunnelling Engineering

Water Engineering

Just a few engineering job titles...Aerospace Design Engineer Assistant Chief Design

Engineer Assistant Chief Engineer Assistant ProjectManager Associate Energy Consultant Capability

Acquisition Manager Chartered Civil EngineerChief External Supply Chain Chief Engineer Chief

Patent Officer Civil Engineer CommissioningLeader Computational Fluid Dynamics Engineer

Consultant Consulting Engineer ContinuousImprovements Manager Defence Business Manager

Design Engineer Design Manager, Plant SafetyDirector of Product Integrity Draughtsman Drilling

Engineer Electrical Design Consultant EngineerEngineer Geologist Engineering Process

Specialist Environmental consultant

Flood Defence Engineer Flood Risk andDrainage Engineer General ManagerGeo-Environmental Engineer Global Chief

of CFD Global Head of Transformation -System Design Graduate Design EngineerGraduate Engineer Graduate mechanical

Engineer Graduate Structural Engineer Headof Engineering Head of Nuclear Environment

Head of Product Safety Assurance Head ofProjects and Development Human Factors

Engineer Hydro-Geologist IncorporatedEngineer Integrity Planning Team LeaderJunior Security Consultant Lead Process

Safety Engineer Manufacturing EngineeringManager Manufacturing Laboratory ManagerManufacturing Laboratory Manager Marketing

Projects Engineer Mechanical Engineer Platform Integrity LeadPrincipal Designer Principal Engineer Principal Environmental Scientist

Principal Geo-Environmental Engineer Principal Mechanical Engineer

Principal Process Engineer Principal Project Leader Process Safety EngineerProgramme Manager Project Development Manager Project Engineer Project Manager Project Manager - Structural Systems Design Project

Safety Lead Project Systems Engineer Rail Modelling Specialist Research andTechnology Manager Safety Engineer Sector Lead Material Planning SeniorConsultant Engineer Senior Electrical and Lighting Engineer Senior Engineer

Senior Environmental Consultant Senior Geotechnical Engineer SeniorHydrogeologist Senior Maritime Safety Engineer Senior Mechanical Engineer

Senior Nuclear Safety Engineer Senior Process Engineer Senior Project ManagerSenior Safety Engineer Senior Engineer Senior Project Engineer Structural

Engineer Subsea Project Engineer Technical Director Technical Reports ManagerThermo-Fluid Specialist Tunnel Engineer Well Intervention Team Leader Well

Operations Manager


12/32

15-18 years

55%

11 years or younger

7%19 years orolder

20% 12-14 years18%

Question: At around what age did you first think you might be interested in a career inengineering?

12

NatalieCooper

Aerospace design engineer,Aerospace Engineering Solutions

It’s not all about physics

Proudest achievement:“Working my way up the ladder as Istarted as an administrator.”

How do you explain what anengineer does?“I do technical drawings which includemodifications and repairs to commercialaircraft.”

An often repeated myth

says engineering facultiesinsist on your being ableto offer physics as oneof your A levels. Thisisn’t true. A check of theentry requirements forengineering degrees willquickly show otherwise.


13/32

13

It is very true that physics and maths are ideal, but thesedays there’s a wider range of entry requirements, reflectingincreasing awareness that for many and for a range ofreasons, physics is not one of the most popular A levelchoices. Universities also offer excellent engineeringfoundation courses.

This is important: not least because only a minority of usever truly know before choosing A levels which careers mayappeal to us a few years later on. The research confirmedthere was no single age when women engineers developedtheir interest; very few had been following a single pathfrom an early age.

A common factor for most women engineers (91%) washaving had at least one inspirational teacher. She or he waslikely to have been passionate about their subject (80%),‘able to bring their subject to life’ (70%) and activelysupportive of individual pupils (62%).Perhaps more surprisingly, a majority of two-thirds ofwomen engineers said that the teacher they had foundmost inspiring while at school was teaching a subject otherthan physics.

Most frequently remembered as inspirational teachers werethose teaching maths (29%), followed by physics (24%),chemistry (8%), geography (7%), science (6%) and design& technology (5%).

Their source of inspiration at school may even have beenteaching an arts subject. Five percent found their Englishteacher or a modern languages teacher inspiring and a

similar proportion was inspired by a history, art or musicteacher.

8%

7%

6%

5%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1

1

1

Question: Thinking back to the school and/or the teacher you found the mostinspiring, what subject did she or he teach?

29%

24%

Maths

Physics

Chemistry

Geography

Science

Design/Technology

English

French/German/Spanish

History

Art/Music

Biology

Computing/IT

Classics/RE


14/32

80%Your academic interests seemed to naturally point youtowards engineering

75%You were inter-ested in prob-lem solving/ fixing things

14

‘I enjoyed problemsolving’

Women engineers

frequently characterisedtheir younger selves ashaving been interested inproblem solving and fixingthings.

RosieGoldrick

Graduate structural engineer, Design andEngineering,Atkins

Most enjoyable part of being anengineer:“Doing problem solving on a daily basis,especially when working on site. Youget to work with a variety of people,from steel fixers to clients. Every day isdifferent; you are very busy and have lotsof responsibility.”

Proudest achievement:

“I spent a week as leader of a group inThailand where we were constructing aschool for a charity.”


15/32

11%A closefriend isor was

an engi-neer

14%A par-ticular

event

17%To yourmark on

history

26%It was an op-portunity to do

things that wouldhelp people

30%You wanted to helpbuild vital infrastruc-ture and solve globalchallenges

39%A family member is or was

an engineer

28%that person wastheir father

Question: Which of the following, if any, played a part in inspiring your interest in engineering?

15

Equally important were school subjects, 80% said interestsat school could then be taken further by choosing anengineering degree.

Again, perhaps surprisingly, this research showed that aninterest in building, making or doing things was quite alot less likely to have been part of the reason to becomean engineer. Only 30% had wanted to help build roads,railways, airports and water supplies; and just over aquarter had followed an altruistic interest in wanting towork on projects that would help people.

Knowing one or more engineers was frequently important.

Almost four in ten women engineers had a familyconnection, most frequently their father, and 11% had afriend who was an engineer.

Families, as would be expected, had been solid in providingalmost unanimous support. Nearly all (94%) womenengineers said their family had supported their interest inengineering, although for 11% of families the news hadapparently been something of a surprise.

Almost none believed they’d been actively influenced bythe media. Just one in twenty said some of their inspirationhad been drawn from anything on the television or at themovies.

“I thought if my friends (whowere boys) could do it – Icould too.”


16/32

16

Opening up so manychoices

AliceMacGregor

Assistant engineer, Energy,Atkins

Most rewarding aspect of being anengineer:“The ability to work on a variety ofdifferent projects helping to change theworld. You can see what you have doneand put your name to it.”

Proudest achievement:“M4 and M5 hard shoulders aroundBristol near my home - I was involved

from the start and can see how theymanage the traffic.”

Awareness of the choices a

degree in engineering wouldsubsequently bring themhad been an importantfactor when many womenengineers were making theirchoice of undergraduatecourse at university.Most frequently cited as reasons for choosing engineering were thevariety of career options and routes (62%) and that engineering was‘a good route to lots of other interesting careers’ (56%).Receiving offers of places in engineering faculties of universities with

strong reputations had been an important consideration for 50% ofwomen engineers.

Almost half the sample (49%) had been attracted by the goodemployment opportunities, although the prospect of a good salaryhad not been as important as might be anticipated – named as afactor for just over a third of women engineers.

Unimpressed by gender stereotypes, one of the reasons for theirchoice of engineering for approaching half (45%) of women

engineers was actively wanting to ‘doing something different fromthe typical roles proposed for women’.


17/32

17

For the majority the idea of choosing engineering seemsto have been largely their own; 27% saying they had beenencouraged by a teacher/tutor and 15% receiving careersadvice from a school careers adviser.

“I wanted to work in a largeorganisation and there

was plenty of choice inengineering.”

27%

35%

45%

49%50%

56%

62%

The variety of career options/routes

Engineering is a good route to lots

of other interesting careers

You were offered a place at auniversity with a strong reputation

The good employment opportunities

You wanted to do something differentfrom the typical roles proposed for

women

Good salary prospects

A teacher or tutor suggested it to you

Availability of grant funding/sponsorship

18%

The school careers adviser suggested it

15%

The good work life balance

17%

Question: Which of the following, if any, played a part in your choosing a career in engineering? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who selected these reasons.


18/32

18

Dr WigdanHamour

Integrity planning team leader, ClairRidge Project,BP

Female advantages

Two-thirds of women

engineers providedexamples where being awoman had been and/ or provided one or morepositive benefits including:Gaining personal recognition:

“It certainly helped when joining university.”

“When you are going for interviews it helps to get noticed and bedifferent from the other candidates.”

Work contributions:

“In big meetings people listen to you, they want to hear youropinions.”

“We can look at the bigger picture and are more flexible to work onany project.”

“In conferences being a woman - people remember you - careervisibility.”

What do you think women bring toengineering?“I think women approach challengesdifferently to men. Also they provideout of the box thinking which is crucialto engineering. I also think womenmake good mentors and leaders andthat would help in developing the nextgenerations of engineers.”

Proudest achievement:“My PhD in structural engineering. Thatwas a huge achievement for me!”


19/32

19

KateLeighton

Senior project engineer,Curtins Consulting

In which kind of situations doesit actually help to be a woman inengineering?“It helps when applying for jobs. Thereare so few women in the industry andemployers are keen to get parity withmale staff.”

Proudest achievement:“Seeing my imagined designs taking

shape in the real world, formingplaces of employment, family homesand learning institutions that effectseveryone’s lives.”

People skills:

“On a number of occasions having worked in different companies - maleengineers respond well to you as a female engineer - on a personal level.”

“Working offshore - everyone is treated as equals.”

“Females find it easier to motivate a team.”

Applying for a job:

Over two-thirds of women engineers reported that as a job applicant,being a woman makes no difference. One in six (17%) believed there was

an advantage and slightly fewer (13%) believed their gender had been ahindrance.

70%No difference

17%Help

13%Hindrance

Question: When applying for a job, do you find being female is a help, a hindrance, or it doesn’t make anydifference?


20/32

20

A perfect choice

In a major vote of

confidence, 84% are eitherhappy or extremely happywith their career choice.Providing further encouragement 98% also believe that it is arewarding career for women.

Job satisfaction is important in every career. Most frequently

amongst women engineers (for 80%) this important reward came inthe shape of the successful projects their work had helped deliver.

Just under three-quarters (72%) relished receiving new challengesand over half (54%) enjoyed having the opportunity to make adifference. For 42% becoming a chartered engineer had been amajor milestone.

Half said their company’s support in terms of their own career

development was very important.

Reflecting the international presence of engineering companiesand the demand for their skills as professional engineers, almostfour-in-ten (39%) of female engineers in the survey had enjoyedopportunities to work and travel.

EmmaDoherty

Head of engineering, London Tramlink,Transport for London

Proudest achievement:“I am very proud of my current roleas Head of engineering for LondonTramlink. I have a great team workingfor me and it is very satisfying to see myplanning and vision starting to impact onthe quality of service we offer to our 30million passengers a year”

Most rewarding aspect of being an

engineer:“I love the variety and enjoy working inthe transport sector in London where Ihave a real impact on people’s lives. Mysector also influences regeneration andgrowth in some of the more deprivedparts of London and can really improvequality of life.”


21/32

21

A teamchange

A mentorpushing meto take aleap of faith

A trainingcourse orcoach

Anopportunityto travel

Gettingchartered

Mycompany’sinvestmentin my careerdevelopment

A chanceto make adifference

A newchallenge

Successful

delivery ofa project orprojects inwhich youplayed apart

21%26% 28%

39% 42%50%

54%

72%80%

Question: Which of the following, if any, do you consider to be the key milestonesor definitive moments that have inspired or helped you to continue to pursue yourengineering career?

“Engineering is financiallyrewarding, and has providedme with a wide variety ofexposure to knowledge, newthinking, innovation andnetworking.”

For 80%, job satisfaction

came in the shape of thesuccessful projects theirwork had helped deliver.


22/32

22

HelenePepin

Chief external supply chain, Aerospace,Rolls-Royce

Balancing life

Proudest achievement:“Ensuring safety of general public whentravelling with our product. Workedand lived in four different countries sofar. Managed to successfully raise mychildren and achieve a successful careerwithout dropping any balls.”

How do you explain to someonewhat being an engineer is?

“The title says it - engineering is thecreation of products used everyday. Thereis a multitude of ways to create, samegoes for engineering.”

Almost all of the women

surveyed said they wereachieving a good work lifebalance with almost four-in-five (79%) saying theircolleagues and employers

were playing an importantrole in helping them fit theirworking career alongsidetheir family life and personal

interests. Interestingly81% of women engineerssurveyed are in full timeroles.


23/32

23

Supportive family and friends were a help for 69%, andhaving good time management skills was important to overthree-quarters (77%).

Three-quarters had an employer who actively helpedin enabling a good work life balance, enabling flexibleworking arrangements and work policies.

Two-thirds appreciated the ability to have openconversations with a member of management sympatheticabout ensuring the work life balance was kept in thepicture.

Some comments that helped to give a picture ofbalancing life as an engineer were:

“Ability to plan my own schedule and IT system that allowme to participate in key meetings regardless of where I amphysically.”

“Compressed hours or flexitime - more opportunity todo this even at senior levels of the organisation and notnecessarily just for managing family commitments. i.e. if I

wanted to go part time to pursue other interests in my dayoff.”

“I don’t have children so have not required the samedegree of flexibility in that regard. However, I really valuethe freedom to work from home or somewhere away fromthe office as this helps clear my mind to focus on complexissues.”

“We have good flexibility onworking hours -so I’m able tohave time off when needed,or take a longer holidaybreak.”

Professional networks

An excellent mentor

My pragmatic engineering experience

Location of office

Keeping the big picture

Open conversations with my line manager

Supportive family and/or friends

Flexible working arrangements and policies

Good time management skills

A supportive working environment andco-workers

Question: Which of the following have been the most useful in achieving a goodwork life balance?


24/32

24

JoanneJamieson

Project manager, Structural SystemsDesign,Rolls-Royce Myths &

misunderstandings

Most rewarding part of being anengineer:“When members of my team getrewarded for outstanding work, forexample winning the Sir Henry RoyceInnovation Award.”

How do you explain to someonewhat being an engineer is?“I’m part of a large team which together

design aero engines. I usually spend myday at a computer or in meetings, and Inever use a spanner.”

All the women engineers

in the survey believed thata combination of reasonscause the current imbalanceof the sexes choosing totake an engineering degree

and working in engineering.These reasons can be divided into a) those that could be groupedunder myths and misunderstandings, and b) those related to ageneral lack of knowledge.


25/32

25

Three serious myths were highlighted by a large proportionof women engineers:

•

Myth 1 – But it’s just for boysThree-quarters believed engineering is still regarded as being ‘amale career’

• Myth 2 – Engineers ‘fix engines’Just over two-thirds thought engineering was believed by toomany to involve fixing engines

• Myth 3 – Muscles required43% said they believed engineers were thought to requirephysical strength.

A need for awareness raising of fundamental understandings wasidentified in several areas – most applying equally to both genders:

• General ignorance Seven in eight believed greater awareness was needed of whatengineers do

• Diversity of careers

77% believed greater awareness of the wide range of careersemploying engineering graduates

• Improving careers advice Almost two-thirds of women engineers believed that careersadvice about engineering was weak

• It isn’t difficultOver half of the sample (55%) said they believed potentialstudents were being put off by an idea that engineering was ‘toodifficult’.

MariaTaboada

Platform integration lead,Rolls-Royce

Proudest achievements:“I started at the design office ofa shipyard from a very low level, Icontinued studying till I became technicaldirector. At the same time I had twochildren. I have been responsible for thedesign of very interesting vessels, manyof them appear in the news involved inresearch campaigns, this makes me feelvery proud.”

How do you explain what anengineer does?“From my experience I would say thatengineer means two things that in mostcases are opposite: creativity and process.Creativity to think in another way tosolve challenges: process to do the job ina proper way avoiding mistakes.”


26/32

26

Fixing the future

RebeccaChapman

Sales and marketing engineer,Hoval Limited

Proudest achievement:“I set up a manufacturing divisionfor a product – air to air plate heatexchangers. These are put intoventilation systems to recover heat frombuildings.” Are you involved in any initiativesthat encourage young people intoengineering?

“I was one of the winners of Under-30‘Make it in Britain’ competition held lastyear. You had to prove you had madeopportunities for people to be employedin engineering, I went on to nationalradio.”

A range of initiatives,

some already in practice,were suggested as ways ofencouraging more girls intoengineering.1. The greatest consensus focussed, perhaps surprisingly, onimproving careers advice in schools. Seven-in-ten women engineerssaid that the advice currently being given about engineering as acareer needed improving.

2. Almost two-thirds (64%) believed there should be greater effortsby recruiters of engineers to provide more work placements for girlsto work alongside women engineers.

3. A majority of 56% wanted to see more provision of womenspeakers in schools.

4. Almost half (44%) would like to see the term ‘engineering’feature in the school curriculum alongside or in place of ‘technology’and ‘science’.

5. A campaign raising awareness of engineers solving problemsfor developing world and disadvantaged people (also 44%) wouldencourage more girls into engineering was regarded as important.

“I d ’t thi k t h


27/32

27

“I don’t think many teachersknow enough aboutengineering to have a validconversation about it as acareer option.”

Question: On a scale of one to ten where ten is very likely to be effective and one would be ineffective, how effective in your opinion would each of the following be inencouraging more young women to choose a career in engineering? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who gave these suggestions a high score.

64%Work experience placementsalongside women engineers

56%UK-based organisationdedicated to sendingwomen speakers into

schools

38%Primetime TV

engineering problem-solving challenge along

the lines of Young

Apprentice (but notRobot Wars)

70%Better careers informationfor women engineers for

schools

44%Applying the term

‘engineering’ where

appropriate in the earlyyears national curriculum(rather than covering

with science andtechnology)

42%Campaign raising

awareness of engineerssolving problems for

developing world anddisadvantagedpeople

15% More visiblefemale role

models


28/32

28

Our commitments

The 300 women who contributed to this survey by sharingtheir experiences, beliefs and advice have given us greathope that we will be able to encourage more girls tochoose a fulfilling career in engineering. These findings

tell us that engineering isn’t seen as a viable career optionfor many young women simply because of a lack ofinformation, inspiration and understanding. Where thereisn’t a family member, a teacher or a role model whoinspires young people, girls aren’t aware of what we nowknow is a rewarding, fulfilling and balanced career path formany.

Based on this surveythe companies involvedhave made threecommitments:

Stay positiveAll too often we hear people talk of the “skills gap” or“gender imbalance” in engineering sectors, particularlyenergy. Negativity doesn’t inspire people and it certainly

doesn’t help us address these issues. We commit tospreading the word about what a diverse and rewardingcareer the engineering profession can offer, armed with themany positive statistics and messages in this report.

Survey steering group:

Imogen ParkerHead of communications,Energy

Jenny YoungManager of diversity


29/32

29

Profile role modelsWe know that a large number of female engineers wereinspired by a family member. We also know that there is alack of role models in society. Every single one of the 300

women we surveyed is an inspirational role model capableof speaking to young women in a language they willunderstand and opening up the world of engineering toa new and receptive audience. We commit to supportingthe development of role models and encouraging more ofour women to raise their profile through the media, digitalplatforms and community initiatives.

Clear a pathMany of the survey respondents told us there needs to bea better awareness of what engineering is and the manycareer options on offer. They also talked about the many

misconceptions and ‘myths’ we need to break through inorder to broaden the appeal of our industry. But there aremany great initiatives and campaigns to support teachersand promote engineering already out there. We commit toexploring what can be done to raise awareness of existingcareers information while identifying what else teachersand students would like to see.

All of us need to make it easy for teachers to navigate the

right tools for inspiring others into engineering, be it avideo, a visitor or a virtual experience!

Bola FatimilehinManager of diversity

Eleanor RadbourneDirector core capabilityengineering & operations

Linda EmeryGlobal head of talentattraction & candidateexperience


30/32

30

Production team & acknowledgements

Project creator and director: Imogen Parker, Head of communications, Energy, AtkinsProject co-creator and PR guru: Natalie Buxton, Director, Weber Shandwick

Survey guru and results narrator: Peter Gill,Director, The Survey ShopProject executive and sponsor: Martin Grant, CEO, Energy, AtkinsReport designer: Robbie Parker, Graphic designer, Energy, Atkins

Survey and report steering group:Jenny Young, Manager of diversity, Royal Academy of

EngineeringBola Fatimilehin, Manager of diversity, Royal Academy ofEngineeringEleanor Radbourne, Director core capability engineering &operations, Rolls RoyceJane Machin, Candidate experience, Group Resourcing, BP

Special thanks toRebecca Chapman, Sales and marketing engineer, HovalLimitedNatalie Cooper, Aerospace design engineer, AES

Emma Doherty, Head of engineering, London Tramlink,Transport for LondonRosie Goldrick, Graduate structural engineer, AtkinsDr Wigdan Hamour, Integrity planning team leader, BP -Clair Ridge ProjectJoanne Jamieson, Project manager, Structural systemsdesign, Rolls-RoyceKate Leighton, Senior project engineer, Curtins ConsultingAlice MacGregor, Assistant engineer, Atkins

Helene Pepin, Chief external supply chain, Rolls-Royce,AerospaceRuth Stevens, Subsea project engineer, BPMaria Taboada, Platform integration lead, Rolls-Roycefor being profiled as part of the report;and toSue Cooper, HR director, UK, AtkinsDonna Halkyard, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BAE SystemsElizabeth Birchenough, Senior engineer, Atkinsfor their support of the project.

To all of the 300 women who took part in thesurvey, thank you for sharing your reflections andviews which have helped enable us to tell the

positive story about life as a professional engineerand to inspire future generations.


31/32

31

Copyright © Atkins Limited 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of thecopyright owner.

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

The Atkins logo is a trademark of Atkins Limited.

Report first published September 2013.

The Survey Shop conducted and analysed data from 200 telephone interviews and100 online questionnaires in April 2013.

For more information on this project and to request printed copies please contact:

[email protected]

www.atkinsglobal.com

mailto:imogen.parker%40atkinsglobal.com?subject=Britain%27s%20got%20talented%20female%20engineershttp://www.atkinsglobal.com/http://www.atkinsglobal.com/mailto:imogen.parker%40atkinsglobal.com?subject=Britain%27s%20got%20talented%20female%20engineers


32/32

32

www.atkinsglobal.com

It’s all about problem solving

We asked 300 professional femaleengineers why they chose a career inengineering and how they feel abouttheir choice.

A clear majority of respondents find their job rewarding, satisfying and interesting.

We can now use these positive statistics andstories to help inspire future generations offemale engineers.

Spread the word via #womeninengineering.

98% believe it is arewarding career for women

Over80% are happy with their career choice

87% not hinderedby being a woman

79% saida supportiveworkingenvironment

helps work lifebalance

91% had aninspirational teacher

75% lovedproblem

solving
http://www.atkinsglobal.com/http://www.atkinsglobal.com/

Britain’s Got Talented Female Engineers (Atkins, 2013)

Documents

Transcript of Britain’s Got Talented Female Engineers (Atkins, 2013)