Government must do more to attract females into engineering says ICE

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has called on government to ensure that schools are communicating STEM career paths to students. 

Bernadette Ballantyne
23 June 2015

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National Women in Engineering Day

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ICE Director General, Nick Baveystock, said government must ensure that regulator Ofsted rigorously inspects school career guidance so that the range of modern STEM pathways are communicated to students.

Recognising National Women in Engineering Day Baveystock said that women represent 10% of ICE’s total membership with female applications rising and graduate numbers of women at 18%.

“Engineering solutions are best delivered by multi-disciplinary teams of men and women working creatively together, so there is a commercial as well as a social imperative to right the imbalance, and industry must make their case." Nick Baveystock

“This is encouraging, but the reality is that there are still more male than female engineers, so we must do more, and collaboration between industry and institutions is critical to success,”he said.

“Engineering solutions are best delivered by multi-disciplinary teams of men and women working creatively together, so there is a commercial as well as a social imperative to right the imbalance, and industry must make their case. Schools also have a duty to lead the drive in overcoming outdated perceptions about careers in engineering and ensure they are accessible to all.”

Baveystock also called on government to work with the built environment to implement the recommendations from the Perkins Review and support industry in attracting and retaining and diverse pool of entrants; and commit to increasing the quality - not just the quantity - of apprenticeships so those on schemes achieve a qualification which sets them up for life, and the UK benefits from a diverse pipeline of talent.

Women in Engineering Statistics 

• Females represent just over 10% of ICE’s total membership. Graduate female numbers are currently at 18%
• Across all engineering disciplines, the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineers in Europe, at less than 10%. Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus lead with nearly 30%.
• In the decade to 2022, engineering companies will need 182,000 people a year with engineering skills – this means we need to double the number of apprentices and graduates entering the industry (EngineeringUK)
• Companies with more women on their boards were found to outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.(Women on Boards, BIS, February 2011)
• Only about half (51%) of female STEM graduates actually go on to work in STEM roles, compared with over two thirds (68%) of male STEM graduates(EngineeringUK)
• 43% of girls said they were put off by STEM careers because they didn’t know enough about the careers available (Girl Guiding UK survey)
•  60% of girls said they were also put off STEM careers due to lack of female role models (Girl Guiding UK survey).