Women ‘Untapped’ Resource In Engineering Sector

If you’re both female and interested in CAD training to further your ambition to become an engineer, you may have the impression of the engineering sector as a bit of a boy’s club. Targeting women for roles in engineering is much over-looked, and according to the Irish Times, experts believe that the gender gap in the sector is leaving female talent ‘untapped’.

A new report, created in collaboration with Engineers Ireland, found that only 16 per cent of engineer graduates were female and, in the industry as a whole, women made up even less - just 12 per cent.

Caroline Spillane, director general or Engineers Ireland, said that like most sectors, engineering required an interdisciplinary approach, making the most of both men and women’s minds in collaboration: “It is very much in the engineering profession’s interests that we better bridge this gender gap to harness the abundance of skills that are now the hallmark of our female graduates,” she added.

This week is currently Engineers Week in Ireland, and these details were released as part of the 2018 Engineering report.

There has been a rise in the number of students studying STEM related subjects in Ireland, however, he question is how to convert these into potential talent for the engineering industry.

\With campaigns such as #ThisIsEngineering already looking to tackle the shortfall of talent within the industry, it really is key that engineering addresses its image in the eyes of women, to make itself a more attractive prospect to them.