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connecting with the engineers of tomorrow

While we want to recruit the right
people, irrespective of gender, age, race
or religion, it’s abundantly clear that
our industry is not doing enough to
encourage girls into engineering.
A-level physics is the second most
popular subject for boys, but ranks at
just 18th place for girls. And only four
per cent of professionally registered
engineers in the UK are women. I firmly
believe that the answer to this is getting
into schools early.

We want a workforce that
is diverse and inclusive,
representative of the 11 million
customers we serve

I am not an engineer myself, but I
can vividly remember family members
saying when I was younger that I had
the practical and logical mind to be an
engineer. I didn’t have anyone steering
me that way or opening my eyes to what themselves) and we’ve recently confidence, enthusiasm and excitement
it meant to be an engineer or how to been recognised as a Youth Friendly they all exude is infectious and truly
make it happen. Employer by Youth Employment UK. shows me how much I love my job and
Now, here I am working as New This award was presented to us at the what a pleasure it is to do something
Talent Manager for a company with House of Commons, as my manager that has such an impact. Even at our
engineering at its core. I’m determined Tony Moloney and I contributed to work experience weeks, it’s great
that we need to do all we can to plug a discussion with MPs about youth to witness the students’ confidence
that gap, by sharing our experiences, no employment and skills. It was a fantastic change in a matter of days.
matter what they are. We talk to girls opportunity and great to be contributing
when they are at school and offer them to such an important issue. Our schemes include
the guidance that was not available We take on around 80 new trainees
to me. We are developing classroom a year. My team and I work with our apprenticeships, an engineering
activities that specifically engage young organisation to ensure the schemes training programme for
women and we’re looking at building deliver good, competent people at the supervising engineers, an
relationships with a girls-only school. end of their scheme. We focus on three
We target the socially disadvantaged entry-level points after school – leaving industrial placement student
too, working with the Social Mobility school after GSCEs, post A-levels and after scheme and our graduate
Foundation to mentor two students and graduation from further education – to development programme
working with two schools in deprived facilitate a breadth of backgrounds and
areas, as well as joining with the EU perspectives coming into the business.
Skills Talent Source Network to develop Our schemes include We have seen some tremendous
programmes that inspire black, Asian apprenticeships, an engineering successes and we know it’s important to
and minority ethnic young people. training programme for supervising share that learning. Tony, my team and I
Age is not a barrier either. We engineers, an industrial placement regularly meet and engage with external
continue to try to banish the myth that student scheme and our graduate bodies to share and showcase our
apprenticeships are just for school development programme. We provide strategy. These include EU Skills, Royal
leavers by regularly bringing ‘older’ opportunities to learn about the Academy of Engineering, CBI, Careers
applicants onto our apprenticeship wider business. Our learners may and Enterprise Company, Engineering
schemes who want a career change. We focus on a job-specific area, but they UK and local council organisations
are also about to start apprenticeships also learn about cost efficiency, the and groups. We’ve now positioned
to help develop our own employees. huge importance of customers and ourselves effectively in the market as
We want a workforce that is diverse our environmental challenges. For a leader in good quality educational
and inclusive, representative of the 11 instance, our graduates currently outreach using our research points and
million customers we serve. undertake a sustainability challenge. previous reports.
We’re very proud of the work we One of my favourite events of the I’ve met some incredible people in
are doing in this area – and proud that year is an evening where our scheme this role and it’s clear the appetite and
our approach is getting recognition members come together to celebrate will is there – but we must all maintain
too. For example, last year we were finishing their scheme. They tell us the momentum. I’m so passionate
judged the best UK company for what they have enjoyed and what they about this area; I’m excited to see
apprentices to work for (based on have learned, while we celebrate their what’s next around the corner and what
anonymous reviews from apprentices success. It is such a joy to see. The further impact we can have.

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