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IF WE’RE NOT REFLECTING SOCIETY, THEN WE’RE NOT CREATING SOLUTIONS FOR ALL OF SOCIETY

20th June 2023, London, UK – Next week’s International Women in Engineering Day 2023 (INWED, 23rd June) was recently profiled at a First Friday Editors’ Briefing in Central London. The thought-leadership panel discussion featuring leading women in the field of industrial engineering met to discuss Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and the reality of being a woman in the workplace. Attitudes to UK Industry (ATUKI) also unveiled its latest public perceptions report on Attitudes to Women in Engineering. Chaired by the CEO of The Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Dr. Hayaatun Sillem, CBE, topics included how influential families are in encouraging children into engineering careers through to how inclusion avoids exclusion.

Dr. Sillem opened the session: “The engineering profession today is comprised of only 16.5% women, there are a whole raft of reasons about why it should be such an urgent priority because engineers shape the world that we live in. They design, deliver, and maintain the physical and digital infrastructure. They serve society and as such need to reflect society”.

Dame Dawn Childs, DBE, president of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and CEO of Pure Data Centres Group added: “INWED was created by WES to try to meet some of the challenges of diversity in engineering. It’s been a slow and hugely problematic process. As a business leader I believe that diversity drives the bottom line. If we’re not reflecting society then we’re not creating solutions for society. We’re effectively stopping half of the products that are needed from coming to market”.

Identifying how engineering fits into the world is a mantra offered by Primary Engineer which last year helped over 48,000 children of school age realise that engineering could be for them. Dr. Susan Scurlock, MBE, CEO of Primary Engineer said: “The inclusivity piece for us is about every child having the opportunity to have the experience of what engineering gets, what it does and how it fits into the world. It’s about children understanding the context of learning, so that they learn the curriculum through the lens of engineering and their support groups understand where it fits”.

All of the panellists cited their parents as having some form of influence over their decision to be an engineer. Dr. Sillem added: “Young people don’t make their career decisions in a vacuum. Parents and the others who influence them are really important to this topic”.

Katy Deacon, chair of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) EDI panel is in a positive position to influence how an organisation with such a large footprint is moving the EDI agenda forward. She said: “If you include everybody and you accept people for what they are and what they can bring then you will get a true reflection of the different perspectives within out society. This includes people with disabilities and other non-physical differences – neurodiversity for instance”. As a wheelchair user, Katy knows first hand how important the inclusivity piece is. “Disabled engineers bring a whole new perspective on the world. We (IET) are striving forward and showing the industry that you can get some incredible benefits by embracing EDI”.

Dr. Sillem said: “For me, inclusion is a culture piece. And this is creating a culture in which every single person feels welcome, feels safe, feels valued and feels able to contribute in full. Some people say it’s about equality, some equity, I say it’s about fairness and parity of experience and opportunity”.

There are organisations that are pioneering the EDI conversation and making real inroads into the agenda. For instance, thirty four percent of Schneider Electric’s workforce is women and the executive committee boasts a forty four percent representation. Forty one percent of new hires are women.

Kristin Baker, VP Industrial Automation UK & Ireland at Schneider Electric said: “EDI at Schneider Electric has been a journey from which many businesses can learn. Our focus on diversity has built a pipeline of talent that is now entering the business. Our graduate schemes, apprentice programmes and role modelling the women in the business has led to thirty four percent of our workforce and forty four percent of our executive committee being female. We’ve made really good progress”, but it’s not been without its challenges.

“The topic has now shifted to inclusion, because that’s where we’ve identified a potential problem area. We’re bringing women into the business, but they are not always staying. We’ve done some work to try to understand the root causes. Some of the feedback from the field was as simple as PPE not fitting right, which is something we’ve addressed. However other feedback was more deep seated in the culture and make-up of the wider eco-system we’re working in.  In the construction industry for instance there is a lot of sub-contracting – very small players, often from other parts of Europe, with different cultures, different experiences with women in the workplace. Our team members in some instance found the onsite environment challenging as the inclusion approach and ways of working that Schneider Electric has adopted were often not the same way the wider industry was working.  We’ve worked on creating allyship to really bring together our male counterparts onsite with those women so that they feel supported in that environment”.

Looking at regional differences, especially in developing countries is something that Aleesha Choudhry founder of WeSpeak identified. “I’ve seen a lot of mentoring programmes that help people on a local basis, but with my programme we connect girls in developing countries or low-income places and we connect them with professional women from all around the world. What’s the chance that your perfect female mentor is just down the road? Especially when we are talking about these environments. Our programme helps deliver active mentorship for women and girls online, wherever they are.”

Attitudes to UK Industry runs regular reports on the attitudes of the UK public. Taking a sample of 2,000 UK adults, the most recent report suggests that whilst the sector is taking positive steps towards a fairer, more diverse workforce, there is still a way to go when it comes to encouraging influencers of children and young adults when it comes to choosing a career in engineering. Tom Spencer, MD at Cadence Innovation Marketing, sponsors of ATUKI said: “Just over six in ten (65%) of those surveyed agreed that there should be more women engineers. One in ten (12%) people aged between 25-34 feel that engineering is not a suitable career for women. Nearly one third (29%) of people in the same age group expressed surprise that there are so many women in engineering, despite official figures reporting 16.5% of the workforce is women”.

this article can also be found in the issue below.

London-based manufacturing specialist, Get It Made, has launched a new 2023 grant to support the potential of women in innovation and to boost the growth of female employment within UK industry.

To mark International Women in Engineering Day on 23^rd June, the initiative is tailored exclusively to female-led, engineering, design, tech and manufacturing enterprises, including start-ups, with the grant recipient set to receive £5,000. In addition to financial support, Get It Made will also be offering its expertise to help guide young female-led businesses through the challenges facing any young company in a challenging economic environment.

First launched last year, the initiative attracted hundreds of applicants from all over the UK and will once again champion female entrepreneurship in traditionally male-dominated sectors.     

The grant is available to female-founded or female-led engineering enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. Applications for this grant close at midnight on 31st July 2023, and can be submitted through the website here.

Jenny Button, Founder and CEO of FemTech start-up Emm, which is creating a menstrual health wearable and app, and was last year’s grant winner, said: “The grant has allowed us to rapidly iterate designs and bridge the gap between prototyping and production tooling, especially for an application that is so intimate and challenging. Innovation isn’t easy so this funding enables us to do much more for less; we hope it will encourage more women in innovation to get their ideas further, as well as draw more investment to underfunded areas such as female health and wellbeing.”

Luke Smoothy, Founder of Get It Made, commented: “For the second year running, we are delighted to be able to offer our support again to the continued efforts of increasing female representation within UK industry – namely the engineering, design, tech and manufacturing sectors. Grants such as ours are aimed at removing the barriers which are still standing in the way of female-founded enterprises. We’re gradually seeing some encouraging signs - for instance, research last year showed that 16.5% of those working in engineering are female, compared to 10.5% as reported in 2010. However, it’s not enough; this growth also needs to be reflected across all areas of work where women are underrepresented.”

https://get-it-made.co.uk/

this article can also be found in issue below.

As the sector gears up to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (23 June), EngineeringUK has released a new report which brings together the available evidence on interventions that aim to increase girls’ aspirations for engineering and technology careers.

Despite some improvements, women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology - making up just 16.5% of the engineering workforce, compared with 47.7% of the overall workforce. Providing high-quality impactful STEM outreach activities for girls is a vital part of addressing this.

A summary of existing evidence, the report aims to inform programme design and delivery for STEM engagement practitioners and funders, and to highlight gaps where more evidence is needed. 

Anna Horgan-Jones, Evaluation Manager at EngineeringUK, comments “Engineering doesn’t feature highly on school curriculums so high-quality impactful STEM engagement activities are vital in helping to inform and inspire young girls towards these careers.

“We hope the learnings identified in our report will be helpful for STEM outreach providers and will support efforts to improve gender diversity in engineering and technology. However, our review found that there are some gaps in the current evidence, so it will be important that research and evaluation in this area continues to develop.”

The review is split into 5 main sections including activities for primary school students, programmes designed specifically for girls, role models and mentors, links to higher education and careers and summer camps.

Some of the key learnings highlighted across these sections include:

• Start engaging girls with engineering and technology activities at a young age
• Include activities that challenge gender stereotypes around engineering and technology
• Learn about the needs, interests, and preferences of girls when designing outreach programmes
• Understand the limitations of gender as a binary concept
• The use of role models that are a similar age can help bridge the developmental gap between students and professionals
• Showcase a range of engineering and technology careers

The report ‘Rapid Evidence Review - Interventions to increase girls’ aspirations for engineering and technology careers’- is available to download at: www.engineeeringuk.com/rer-girls

Find out more about ‘International Women in Engineering Day’ at: www.inwed.org.uk

WOMEN in engineering will be inspired and empowered at an event to celebrate their place in this dynamic sector.

Sellafield Ltd Women’s Engineering Society is hosting the day at Energus on Wednesday (June 21) ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on Friday (June 23).

The theme for the event is safety and security with a number of speakers lined up. 

There will also be self development sessions on assertiveness delivered by the Centre For Leadership Performance, and the event is also an opportunity to network. 

Supporting the day are a number of stalls for attendees to visit. Companies including: Arup, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and Forth will be showcasing their commitment to safety and security and promoting women in the engineering sector.

The event aims to promote diversity in engineering, encouraging more women to pursue careers in the sector. In the afternoon the doors will open to all members of the public with the intention that women and girls contemplating a career in engineering will come and meet those established in the industry.

Engineers and leaders will share their personal journeys, challenges, and triumphs, offering invaluable insights into the world of engineering and the opportunities it presents for women.

Lorna Devine, Sellafield’s Engineering Development Solutions Lead, said: “Events like this one are so important in our calendar. For those already in the business it’s a chance to network, get career guidance and support from like minded women and to become aware of emerging industry initiatives and opportunities, particularly embracing this year’s theme of safety and security. 

“It was equally important to us to open the event up in the afternoon to those who are looking for a career in engineering.

“Seeing is believing and we hope to inspire and engage more women into engineering. We work hard to get the message out there that this industry is open to everyone. It’s an incredibly rewarding and fascinating career.”

Lorna, based at Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence at Cleator Moor, is a proud example of home grown talent. Born in Cleator, educated locally before studying degree apprenticeship in engineering with Gen2 she’s the perfect role model for young women looking to engineering.

Now, she leads innovative six-week sprint projects at Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence which looks at industry solutions which save time, money and help remove people from hazardous environments.

She added: ‘‘Sellafield is an incredibly supportive employer and there are opportunities right across the business. At the Engineering Centre of Excellence we have an inclusive and empowering environment and at events like this one we get the chance to spread the word further.

“Our Women’s Engineering Society provides a safe place for female employees to discuss any issues they may have, seek a mentor and get any support they need in the workplace. We are incredibly proud of what we have set up here.”

Holly Maxwell, Lead System Engineer, set up the mentoring programme for female engineers at Sellafield. 

She said: “Building a strong network is crucial for career growth, and this event will offer an environment for meaningful interactions.

“The event celebrates the growing presence of women in engineering and the vital role they play in driving innovation and progress in the industry. 

“By shining a spotlight on their achievements, this event aims to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and promote equal opportunities for women in engineering.

“By embracing this year’s theme those who attend will leave with a greater level of understanding of what they can do to help keep everyone safe and secure.”

Event details - Energus Building, Lillyhall. The morning session is by invitation only but the doors are open to the public 2pm-4pm.

Photo: Lorna Devine and Holly Maxwell who, as members of Sellafield Ltd Women’s Engineering Society, are helping to host an event to promote women in engineering at Energus on Wednesday, June 21, ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on Friday (June 23).

Winners chosen on ability to innovate, impact they’ve had on their niche, and other compelling factors, including the benefits each company brings to its customers VANCOUVER, Wash.– RealWear, the pioneer of assisted reality wearable solutions for frontline industrial professionals, has won ‘Best Manufacturing and Industrial Solution’ at the XR Today Awards 2023. The annual XR Awards celebrate the best in AR/VR/MR innovation, and the online event invites international firms and individuals to come forward to showcase their achievements in the immersive industry.

The win follows RealWear being named ‘Best Industrial Solution’, ‘Best Construction Solution’ and ‘Best Automotive Solution’ at last year’s awards. Out of the almost 400 entries for this year’s event, only 16 applicants walked away a winner. XR Today gathered an esteemed group of industry professionals to judge the event; each selected expert representing a wealth of industry insight and diversity.

This year’s judges included Amy LaMeyer, the Managing Partner of the WXR Fund, Amy Peck, the Founder & CEO of EndeavorXR, Sophia Moshasha, the VP of the VR/AR Association’s DC Chapter, Dr Faisal Mushtaq, Associate Director of the Centre for Immersive Technologies, Amelia Kallman, London Futurist, Speaker, Author, Tom Ffiske of Immersive Wire, Yanna Zhu, a Metaverse & XR Specialist at BCG, and Jay Latta, an Emerging Technology Strategist. “We’re immensely proud of our continued industry recognition. Having won in three separate categories just last year, and now being recognized as the Best Manufacturing and Industrial Solution, it’s a testament to our customer-focused solution strategy,” stated Jon Arnold, Vice President of EMEA at RealWear.

“This recognition from XR Today highlights the substantial value we bring to our customers through our innovative solutions. RealWear's unwavering commitment to delivering cutting-edge assisted reality solutions for the manufacturing and industrial sectors has played a pivotal role in securing this prestigious accolade.” RealWear headsets are considered the gold standard of wearables for the modern frontline professional. Its flagship device, RealWear Navigator® 520, enables frontline professionals to pull up schematics and blueprints, conduct guided workflows, and leverage AI and computer vision to identify parts defects in realtime. With this latest honor from XR Today, RealWear reaffirms its commitment to delivering transformative solutions that revolutionize the future of work

www.realwear.com

A growing demand for electrification within several industries like steel, solar and semiconductors makes Kanthal to expand its production site in Walldorf, Germany. The aim of the investment is to capture the growth within electric industrial heating and drive operational improvements through increased automation.

At the Walldorf site, Kanthal manufactures products such as Fibrothal® heating modules, flow heaters, metallic heating elements, and diffusion cassettes. All these products enable industries to make the green technology shift.

The investment includes expanding the current premises with ~2500 m² manufacturing area through a lease agreement of a nearby facility, as well as new equipment and automation improvements. The number of employees is expected to increase with approximately 10 people.

 “The investment ensures that we can capture the growth in electrification of industrial heating, which will require a ramp-up of our operations globally. We expect a rapidly growing demand for our traditional heating solutions, but also for our newly developed high temperature process gas heaters that are currently being tested in a number of pilot projects,” says Aaron Roy, President of Business Unit Heating Systems at Kanthal.

“This will benefit customers with better availability and faster delivery of products that will be key in achieving their sustainability goals. In addition, the expansion shows the local community that we are investing in Walldorf and offering new and attractive jobs.”

The initiative started in May and is expected to be fully implemented in Q1 2024.

The UK government commissioned Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship highlighted that women entrepreneurs are underrepresented in the most productive sectors of the UK economy, and that female entrepreneurship could add a further £250bn to the UK economy.

The Review recommends that encouraging young women to study Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics i.e. STEM subjects, is key to increasing female start-up rates in those sectors.

Women still make up a minority of the STEM workforce. It is widely accepted that the lack of visible female role models in the STEM industry contributes to the low number of females taking up STEM related careers.

The Inspirational Women in STEM and Construction Campaign set up by Roni Savage with support from Natwest, Amazon and FSB, is an opportunity to identify inspirational female business owners in STEM and Construction, to act as role models to the future generations and challenge the status quo.

The nominee longlist includes over 70 include incredible women such as Sarra Hawes of Hawes Construction Group, Sophie Carr of Bays Consulting, Lucy Hall of Avvison Media, Charlene Campbell of Green Tea Architects, Stephanie Macdonald of 6a Architects, Rianne Scott of Oracle Solutions, Catherine Barratt of BAMUK Group, Flavilla Fongang of 3coloursrule, Alexandra Knight of StemasingKids, Cynthia Davis of Diversifying.io, Paulette Watson of Academy Achievers, Hollie Whittles of Purple Frog Systems and many others.

The final shortlist who will be announced at a celebration at the House of Lords in June 2023, will be encouraged to each mentor at least one of the young people who will be invited to the event.

Roni Savage, founder and CEO of Jomas Associates, an Engineering and Environmental Company serving the construction industry says “I am really excited about this campaign to identify other business women who have set up businesses in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Construction, and the opportunity it brings to the next generation of women who will be mentored by them. By doing this, we hope to build a stronger pipeline which will boost our economy and empower others to challenge the status quo.”

According to Laura Capper Head of Construction and Manufacturing at Natwest “Empowering women in STEM and construction isn’t just about breaking gender barriers; it’s about strengthening the foundation of progress. By embracing diversity and inclusivity, we unlock a wealth of talent, creativity, and innovation that boosts the economy and propels the industry forward. Addressing existing underrepresentation can bring fresh perspectives, skillsets, and expertise, enriching teams and projects with their unique contributions building a future that is not only equitable but also built to last. The 2019 Rose Review demonstrated that up to £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as UK men.”

Accurate and reliable flow rate measurement for water, including ultrapure water, at up to 1000 litres per minute is easily achieved with the new SU Puresonic flow sensor from ifm electronic. Since this innovative sensor uses ultrasonic technology, it delivers results that are not influenced by the conductivity of the water, making it an ideal choice for use in water filtration and purification systems as well as in more general applications where precision and dependability are key requirements.

These new sensors use a stainless steel measuring pipe free of measuring elements, seals or moving parts. This means no additional restriction to the flow is introduced by the sensor and the risk of leaks and/or blockages, which can occur in mechanical flow measurement systems, is eliminated. As a further aid to reliable operation, the sensors also incorporate a self-monitoring system. This can be used to alert users to, for example, increases in particulate matter in the medium or to the build-up of deposits on the inner wall of the measuring pipe.

SU Puresonic sensors are available with G1 and 1” NPT process connections and a measuring range of 1 to 240 litres per minute, and with G2 and 2” NPT connections and a measuring range of 5 to 1000 litres per minute. All versions have an IO-Link output that provides comprehensive real time data for flow rate, medium temperature and sensor status, as well as a 4-20 mA analogue output, a pulse output, a switching output and a diagnostic output.

Compact construction means that installation is straightforward, even in applications where space is restricted, such as on water manifolds with a 50 mm pitch. Set up is equally straightforward as, unlike clamp-on devices, SU Puresonic sensors offer plug-and-play operation with no need to make adjustments for pipe material and wall thickness.

www.ifm.com