The engineering industry needs to change its thinking when it comes to female apprentices if it is to solve the growing gap in the sector, according to consultancy giant Aecom.
Ahead of National Women in Engineering Day, Aecom warns that unless urgent action is taken to address the growing gap between the number of male and female apprentices, the industry’s gender imbalance will persist for at least another generation.
Although a number of government-led initiatives have contributed to rising numbers of female candidates at graduate level, the gap continues to grow and become worse among engineering apprentices.
According to the most recent data from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, less than 8% of apprentices in engineering and manufacturing technologies are female and their numbers have declined since 2012. In construction, planning and the built environment, women represent less than 2% of apprentices and their proportion has also been in decline since 2012.
To close the gender gap at apprenticeship level, Aecom states that the engineering industry must be as lateral and creative in its approach to recruitment as it is to technical problem-solving.
One route Aecom is exploring is targeting female talent from less socially mobile categories who may not want to – or be able to afford to – go to university, with the aim of encouraging them to consider an engineering apprenticeship.
Kate Morris, director of strategic planning & advisory at Aecom, said: “Urgent, positive action is required to correct years of unintended gender bias in the industry. The growing gender imbalance at apprenticeship level must be addressed now to avoid sleepwalking into future diversity problems.
“As an industry, we must apply our problem-solving skills to tackle the lack of awareness and interest in engineering among emerging female talent. Disentangling the reality of today’s apprenticeships from outdated perceptions of blue collar manual labour will be part of the solution, along with efforts targeted at those who are harder to reach.
“It is vital that we showcase our profession to the young people the industry needs, rather than sitting back and waiting for them to find us.”
