Employers risk becoming increasingly marginalised if they ignore the benefits of attracting more women into the profession.
Commenting ahead of NWED the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Director of Membership, Seán Harris, said: “Civilisation stands on the shoulders of the civil engineers who build our cities, deliver sanitation and connect people across the globe, and it is vital that we inspire and recruit the next generation of engineers. To do this, we must present ourselves as inclusive and diverse.
"UK engineering lags behind much of Europe in terms of a gender-balanced workforce, and employers risk becoming increasingly marginalised if they ignore the benefits of attracting more women into the profession.
“Women represent 12% of ICE’s total membership and female applications to ICE are slowly rising, with graduate numbers at 16%. We must continue to reach out to those who dismiss engineering, and better celebrate the success of women in our industry. ICE is implementing a Diversity and Inclusivity plan which aims to tackle unconscious bias within the sector. We are also working with industry to develop internship programmes for engineers returning to work after having children, and working with schools to help overcome outdated perceptions about careers in engineering.”
To hear what women engineers have to say, visit ICE Talks You Tube page.
To celebrate this year’s theme, there will be a list of the Top 50 Women in Engineering published in the Daily Telegraph on 23 June 2016.
Useful statistics
- 12% of ICE’s total membership is female (April 2016)
- 16% of ICE’s graduate members are female (April 2016)
Statistics on women across all engineering disciplines can be found at the National Women in Engineering Day website.
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