Engineers are known for their innovation and problem-solving skills. Yet, there is one problem the industry still has not cracked -how can it attract and retain female engineers?
During the First World War, the UK relied on women to take up jobs in engineering and medicine and, 100 years on, the ratio of men and women in medicine is pretty equal. In engineering, however, women make up just 9% of the workforce.
Roma Agrawal, associate director at AECOM
Part of the problem is that many girls – as well as boys – have not had their eyes opened to the diverse opportunities that a career in engineering can offer. You could be working in the office one day and on site the next, designing bridges, ports and railways, or even the iconic skyscrapers of the future.
Engineers working at AECOM have worked on some of the nation’s highest profile engineering projects, ranging from the London Olympic Park to The Shard, Crossrail and HS2.
Personally, my gender has never held me back from reaching my goals and I have enjoyed many amazing experiences.
I have worked on projects such as The Shard at London Bridge, One Nine Elms and Crystal Palace Station. My work has also been recognised through award schemes, both for technical ability and for contribution to raising awareness of engineering as a career – something I feel is incredibly important.
Last year I was included in the Top 50 Women Engineers in the UK list, which was compiled by The Telegraph and Women’s Engineering Society, and in 2014 I was recognised by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering with the Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence. This week, I was awarded the Rooke Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering for the public promotion of engineering.
Given the opportunities I’ve enjoyed, the big question now is how to encourage more young women into the profession so they too can experience a similarly rewarding career path. Our industry is striving to hire a diverse range of new entrants, both at apprentice and graduate levels, but the shortage of girls studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects at school is reflected in the number of women entering technical professions. This is a major issue the transportation sector knows it needs to address.
There are many reasons why diversity is important in the workplace. Greater diversity among team members in terms of gender, backgrounds and cultures helps foster a more innovative approach to tackling complex technical challenges. However, the ‘masculine’ image of the transportation industry could be putting off many female candidates from applying for technical roles. The big question now is how our profession can attract more women and create a truly diverse workplace.
An important step is to take STEM professions to girls from an early age to show the exciting contribution of people working in the built environment to create a better world. AECOM regularly visits schools to ignite a passion for STEM professions in young minds and to show female students in particular that our industry offers a variety of exciting career paths. It is important to reach out to children at primary school age before misconceptions about gender stereotypes are formed. Greater collaboration is required between businesses and schools to tackle the problem in a coordinated manner.
For those women already working in the industry, mentoring plays a vital role in the sustained drive for greater diversity. Here at AECOM, we have a global mentoring scheme for women called mCircles. Under the programme, women in leadership positions within our business mentor female colleagues – not just at entry level, but throughout their careers at AECOM.
In addition to providing ongoing personal development and coaching, the work streams cover different career stages, as well as specific areas where female employees have said they would like additional support.
Developing the careers of engineers from a variety of backgrounds is extremely important to the success of our industry. Companies need a diverse workforce to deliver the projects of the future. Let’s all work together to bring change and prove to future engineers that the transportation sector is an attractive and inclusive place for women to work.
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