A call to action to empower women in engineering: Sector groups announce intention to work together

Ann Watson, CEO of Enginuity, the charity dedicated to helping employers in the engineering and manufacturing sector find new ways to close the skills gap, hosted a roundtable discussion that was attended by senior representatives of organisations from across the STEM industries, including Construction Inclusion Coalition, Energy & Utility Skills, Women’s Engineering Society, Women in Sustainability Network, and Womens Utilities Network.

Chaired by Karen Boswell, who in her career as a senior leader running engineering and manufacturing businesses has passionately advocated for diversity and inclusion, the participants gathered to discuss challenges facing women in the engineering and manufacturing sector, including the need for increased gender diversity, and the issue of mid-career leavers. According to a recent study by Engineering UK, the proportion of women in engineering and technology roles has decreased from 16.5% to 15.7% in the past year, with a significant number of women leaving roles between the ages of 35 to 44.