Why the UK needs more women in Engineering

A 2017 survey indicated that 11% of the UK engineering workforce was female. This is a slight rise from 9% in 2015, but still significantly lower than every other country in Europe. Latvia, for example, is the current leader, with 30% of their engineering workforce being female.

Meanwhile, one of the difficulties JMS Engineers (alongside many other firms in the engineering industry) face, is the simple fact that recruiting people with the right skills and qualifications can sometimes be difficult. In fact, current estimates suggest that there is currently a shortfall of the right engineering skills in the region of 25,500 people. That means, to fill this shortfall, the current volume of students taking up engineering degrees to double would be needed.

You don’t need a maths degree to do know how this problem can be resolved. So what barriers are holding women back from engineering? After all, female engineers are extremely happy in their careers (with 98% reporting finding their job rewarding, according to a 2013 survey).

It’s likely a mixture of gender stereotypes, concerns about pay parity, and social assumptions. What you can be sure it isn’t about, is talent and ability. Girls regularly outperform boys at A-level in all STEM subjects (except Chemistry), for instance.

From JMS’ point of view? They want to see more female engineers at JMS. They want to see more equality in our ranks, and are eager to do their part in bringing that lowly 11% figure more into line with the likes of Latvia, and even move beyond that. But most of all,  they do not want to see engineering talent wasted because of gender stereotypes that are not only outdated, but may ultimately harm the industry by leaving a huge skill gap.

So lets all  do our part in changing the landscape for women in Engineering.

Please visit the JMS careers page to find out more about our current vacancies.