This International Women in Engineering Day, io consulting’s Mary Snowdon, a Senior Study Manager and Senior Principal Consultant, reflects on her own life choices and those of her fellow colleagues to determine what caused them all to pursue a career in engineering so that Together We Engineer.
“Becoming a mother made me question not just who my daughter might become, but how I became who I am. For me, engineering wasn’t inevitable—it was inspired. That’s the power of role models. Together, we engineer not just solutions, but futures.”
In October 2023, I became a first time mother to my daughter. As I am sure many parents do, I started to think about her future. What will her interests be? What will she pick as a career? As a daughter of two engineers, would it be inevitable that she too would become an engineer, or would it completely discourage her?
The theme of this year’s International Women in Engineering Day is Together We Engineer. This theme, coupled with my introspection made me reflect on my life choices. How on earth did I end up becoming an engineer? This also made me curious to how the other women at io ended up pursuing engineering careers. How did we all end up together as engineers at io?
My parents, both teachers, fostered my curiosity with educational toys & books, activities, and museum trips. This upbringing initiated my passion for science and maths and triggered my enjoyment of research & problem-solving. However, I never considered engineering as a career as, to be honest, I didn’t really know what it was. My original plan was to study Maths at university, until the pivotal moment at sixth form when my A-Level physics teacher enquired about my degree choices and gently nudged me towards engineering by remarking “Don’t do maths, you’ll have a boring life” (apologies to all mathematicians). This advice prompted me to re-evaluate my options and ultimately led me to choose Chemical Engineering as my field of study.
At what age did you become interested in pursuing a career in engineering?
The majority of women at io became interested in pursing engineering as a career either later in secondary school or at college / sixth form. Several respondents noted that they were not aware of what engineering actually was until late into their educational journey, and the majority of respondents believed that more engagement is required in early years education to raise awareness and ensure girls can make the right choices at the right time to allow them to select engineering as a field of study at university.
What interested you / how did you become interested in pursuing a career in engineering?
Research commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering [1], determined that 91% of the women engineers surveyed had at least one inspirational teacher, and 40% of those surveyed had a family member or friend who was an engineer. Analysis at io aligns with these outcomes with role models noted as key for 78% of the women at io in either sparking an initial interest in STEM or for pursuing a career in engineering. Work experience opportunities were noted by some, but it was stressed by others that these are fairly limited opportunities.
Interest in STEM or problem solving were cited as another justification for pursuing engineering as a career but how were those interests developed in the first place?
Role models, again, played a key part in developing an initial interest in STEM for the io team. Parents were noted as being key by providing support and encouragement with school work, setting up STEM related experiments and activities at home, or providing STEM related toys and books. Whereas several members always preferred science and maths at school and excelled at them, this set them up on the path to pursue engineering.
However, not every child has access to these role models and resources. In response to the question “How can we encourage more women and people from diverse backgrounds into engineering?” the io team thought the following would help:
- Engagement at schools, particularly in the early years (pre-secondary) and in more deprived areas
- Better information at careers services or events, particularly highlighting the diverse range of career opportunities available and the differences between the engineering disciplines
- Mentoring opportunities
- Visible representation
- Hands-on workshops or demonstrations at engagement opportunities to show how engineering can be used to solve problems
Several of these ideas require the support of companies. At io, we offer internships and work experience opportunities to enable young people to get a sense of the work we execute and the opportunities available to them. Our accredited graduate training programme enables new graduates to develop the skills and knowledge to become chartered engineers and continue on their development pathway. Mentoring is accessible to all employees within the company, and we are also committed to facilitating external mentoring or volunteering opportunities at universities, schools, or through STEM initiatives. This allows us to promote the interesting mix of diverse projects and opportunities that we engage in, and the impact they have in solving and influencing the future energy landscape.
Approximately 60% of the influential role models for the io team were family members, which highlights the importance of outreach initiatives and their work to raise awareness, such as the Women’s Engineering Society and events like International Women in Engineering Day. This is especially important to engage with individuals without any connection to engineering to enlist a diverse mix of people to bring a diverse set of perspectives to ensure that Together We Engineer the right solutions for the future.
Reference
[1] Royal Academy of Engineering Research: Britain’s got talented female engineers, https://raeng.org.uk/media/zk2fzvwg/britain-s-got-talented-female-engineers.pdf
