Efforts to promote gender diversity in the sector were on show on Saturday 23 June to mark International Women in Engineering Day.

 

In the capital, Transport for London installed a series of vinyl displays featuring inspirational messages about why female engineers got into the profession at Canning Town, Cannon Street and Loughton underground stations.

 

Central line engineer Mesghana Habteab (pictured left), who is featured in the campaign, said: “I love being an engineer because I love tackling challenges. Many people think that they can’t become an engineer because they don’t have the right qualifications. However, there are many routes to becoming an engineer, such as applying for an apprenticeship.”

 

Assistant project manager Helen Gregory (right), who is also featured, said: “Engineering is such as exciting industry to work in. More women should be considering it as a potential path for them because as an engineer you can you can walk past a building or a bridge or a road and think ‘I was part of the team that delivered this’.”

 

In Glasgow, a model bridge made of 200,000 LEGO bricks and said to be the world’s longest such structure was unveiled to the public on International Women in Engineering Day at the St Enoch shopping centre, to help inspire more young people and especially girls to consider a career in the sector.

 

In other news, Amey has teamed up with the Girlguiding charity to encourage more young women to consider careers in STEM subjects, in a three year partnership. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to design and support this ground breaking new programme,” said Amey’s consulting and rail managing director Nicola Hindle. “We have high aspirations that our work with Girlguiding will result in a new generation of women leading the UK forward, innovating in STEM.”

 

Another transportation company proud to support International Women in Engineering Day is Aecom. Senior project manager Alison Waterworth, who is seconded to work at Manchester Airport, said that more flexible working practices within the sector would help female engineers who are looking to start a family. 

 

“We need to increase the retention of the brilliant women we have in the industry and I am also keen to promote engineering to girls,” she said, adding that it will take a long time for the number of women in the industry to be on a par with men.

 

But she said: “The next generation is mentally geared up to handle greater diversity. We have to keep plugging it and change the perception of everybody. We just need to give it another 10 to 15 years.”