Mimi-Isabella Nwosu, an assistant materials engineer at the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine and a Stem ambassador, says engineering needs to be more accessible to girls. However, Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, points out that retaining talented women is still a major issue for many firms: “We know from our research that 57% of female engineers drop off the register of professional engineers before the age of 45, compared with just 17% of male engineers.” “We’re hoping to play a small part in doing this by providing diverse role models of women in engineering and across Stem, who share their candid experiences,” she says. Sanghrajka says that targeting schools and universities, and providing mentors early in a woman’s career should help dispel the “jobs for the boys” misconception. Shamira Sanghrajka, co-founder of 1 million women in Stem (1MWIS), a global network that aims to provide such role models, says: “We believe that providing role models every step of the way will encourage women to pursue engineering subjects in higher education, enter engineering and stay in the profession.” The study of 11,500 girls and women across 12 countries discovered that girls were much more likely to consider a career in Stem if they had a visible role model. But, as the saying goes, if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. Engineering is about problem-solving and using our mistakes to make improvements.”Ī report by Microsoft found that more than 50% of females aged 11-30 said they were interested in working in the Stem sector. My car, made by mechanical and software engineers, my desk lamp, made by electrical engineers, and my computer, made by software engineers. The impact of engineering on our lives cannot be overestimated, says Elizabeth Donnelly, CEO of the Women’s Engineering Society: “Even during lockdown, you just had to look around to see how much of our lives are touched by it.
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