It’s that time of year again! Applications for the Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow Award are now open!
Do you employ a young engineer who is currently working on a project or has taken a major role in a project which has or will significantly improve the competitiveness and/or technology of your company? Do you want your best and brightest to receive the recognition they deserve?
Then encourage them to apply for the Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow Award and see them celebrated at our Annual Dinner on 28th May 2020. This is a National competition, so we would love to see applications from across Scotland.
In association with the Incorporation of Hammermen, we annually present an award to a young engineer who has led a project that benefited their company and the industry in general. The prize of £1,000 is accompanied by a beautifully crafted trophy, which is held for one year. If you’d like to know more, click the link below for details on how to apply.
It is a known fact that there is a significant underrepresentation of women in the engineering sector, which acts as a disadvantage from a moral, economic and a business point of view. In a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, it was seen that companies in the top 25th percentile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits, and more recent data shows that likelihood has grown to 21%.
We understand, however, that finding the resources and support to instigate this positive change for small and medium sized employers (SMEs) can be a challenge, which in turn can hold them back from reaping the many benefits of having a more diverse workforce.
Scottish Engineering has partnered with EQUATE Scotland to offer Free-of-Charge One to One sessions with private sector SMEs, to help develop/review inclusive policies and positive actions measures into their organisations.
This will consist of bespoke training, which can include:
• Developing gender equality strategies
• Gathering relevant equalities data and feedback from staff
• Designing and implementing appropriate and evidence based positive action measures
• Creating bystander interventions/knowledge exchange internally to ensure that inequalities, sexism and bigotry of any kind are challenged and ultimately eradicated by staff across the organization, creating a culture of inclusion.
For convenience and accessibility, we are happy to host this training onsite at the employers location, or at the Scottish Engineering office.
Deadline for applications for these support sessions is Friday 24th January 2020.
We invite employers to get in touch to arrange a training session, please contact NaziyahMahmood@scottishengineering.org.uk
We also welcome organisations who are interested in getting involved within a venue hosting capacity to get in touch! We look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing a fairer and more inclusive engineering sector in Scotland!
Being a Leader means so much more than just organising and heading a project as it also includes creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment so that others may flourish and produce the best outputs they can.
From continuously challenging our own unconscious bias, to putting into place fairer recruitment practices, there are many ways in which Leaders can instigate positive change within their workplaces, as well as on a wider stage to the sector, at a relatively low cost.
Scottish Engineering and EQUATE Scotland have partnered to bring you the Leaders Programme, as part of the Inclusive Engineering Programme.
We are looking for individuals from private sector SMEs, preferably within a higher level management position, to get involved in our Leaders Programme and to become ambassadors for the sector to ensure that we continue to see positive growth. You will be provided with role-model training, equality and diversity training and will be shown how to actively engage within the sector to create positive change and impact in a sustainable manner. We hope that participants will use the training provided to create a more positive and inclusive work culture within their organisations, and also aim for sustainability by engaging in equalities activities, within their own capacity, beyond the scope of these sessions.
These training sessions are Free of Charge. We understand that the Leaders will already have quite busy schedules, and as such the programme will comprise of:
• 3 – 2 hour training sessions Morning sessions with complimentary tea, coffee and snacks
Tuesday 3rd March: 9.30am – 11.30am
Wednesday 1st April: 9.30am – 11.30am
Tuesday 5th May: 9.30am – 11.30am
Scottish Engineering Office 105 West George Street Glasgow G2 1QL (Located close to Glasgow Queen Street Station and Buchanan Street Underground Station)
• 3 – 1 hour Knowledge/Experience Exchange meet ups – these will take place toward the end of the month of each training session, and will consist of relaxed, casual 1 hour meet ups in which participants share what their experiences have been since the previous training session, any changes they’ve implemented or seen, ideas generation etc. Evening meet ups, complimentary refreshments. Dates and venues TBD.
Become a champion for equality, diversity and inclusion, and help lead the way to a fairer and more successful sector.
Deadline for applications for these support sessions is Friday 24th January 2020
To participate in this programme, or for more information, please contact NaziyahMahmood@scottishengineering.org.uk
We also welcome organisations who are interested in getting involved within a venue hosting capacity to get in touch! We look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing a fairer and more inclusive engineering sector in Scotland!
A ‘Jill-of-all-trades’, Naziyah’s passion for the STEM sector, and for seeing a more equal and inclusive environment within these fields, can be seen from her academic and industrial experiences.
With a background in astrophysics and aerospace engineering, she has worked on several European Space Agency (ESA) satellite missions on various subsystems including Mission Analysis and Design, Propulsion and more. As a STEM Ambassador she works to break the many stereotypes of women in STEM, and especially of those from BAME backgrounds.
Naziyah also works closely with women’s rights organisations to create safe physical and digital spaces for all self-identifying women and girls, and through this aims to help change current legislations on Scottish political platforms.
With an involvement in many male-dominated fields, including as a martial artist of over 20 years, Naziyah aims to not only normalise the image of women within these fields, but also to shine a light on the work needed on inclusivity within all fields.
Role description and project info:
As the new Gender Equality Officer at Scottish Engineering, Naziyah will be delivering a series of events which will revolve around equalities training, and will also be collaborating with EQUATE Scotland to deliver the Inclusive Engineering Programme.
Through this we invite everyone wishing to develop the skills and knowledge on how to instigate change within their organisations to allow for a more fair and equal work culture, SMEs looking for support on their equality policies, and women aiming to progress in their careers within the sector to get in touch on 0141 221 3181 and ask for Naziyah. We look forward to hearing from you!
It seems difficult to believe that not only are we approaching the end of year, but also the end of another decade, and soon will be talking about the 2020’s. As a child of the 70’s and 80’s the last “20’s” were ancient history even to me, although at some time the phrase “The Roaring Twenties” became a familiar phrase. It was so called in reference to a decade of economic and cultural prosperity principally for Western Europe and the USA, and heralded dramatic progression and usage of now everyday items like cars, telephones, film, radio and eventually aviation as a business. In a nod to the decade’s dynamic cultural and social growth it was also known in France as the “Années Folles”.
In many ways the description of crazy years might feel a more appropriate description of the decade we are about to leave, but I can leave you to pick your own special adjective for these times. The indices within this final report of 2019 make for chastening reading, as it seems the resilience of our sector to the latest uncertainties have reached their limit. Whilst I can’t make those results look any better, what I can offer is a view forward on where we might place our collective efforts to make the 2020’s more roaring than crazy.
Politically, the UK is within weeks of going to the polls for the fifth time in five years between our Europe Referendum, General and European elections, and so it’s understandable that fatigue for this uncertainty would lead us to say just get it done, and both I and the concerning negative trends in this report couldn’t agree more. But a note of caution is required, because for Brexit it’s clear that where for some business the outcome will have little or no effect, for others the detail of this is critical, and so when we look across our community of engineering manufacturing, I would urge patience that we seek the right deal, not the fastest one. A transition agreement is just that, and the current deal on the table for the UK leaves a very short window in transition before a full trading agreement is slated to be in place. The political declaration which accompanies the current transition agreement is noticeably absent of the language of “frictionless trade” or “closest possible alignment” and leads to concern for divergence on regulatory alignment which parts of our industry are dependent on.
In 2020 Scotland will host the UN Climate Change Conference, (better known as COP26), and hopefully in due course another piece of common vocabulary will be replaced as “The Paris Agreement” becomes the “The Glasgow Agreement”. 2019 has been a year of sobering reflection as the data driven conclusions of scientists reported trends only sharpened by news reports of glacier ice loss around the globe and flooding closer to home. Climate change and the actions needed to offset it present a significant challenge to the status quo of our industry, however as Lindsay McQuade (CEO of Scottish Power Renewables), urged us when she addressed Scottish Engineering earlier this year, where better to look for solutions than the inherent problem solving and creativity of Engineering?
My final plea for a collective effort for the new decade returns to everyone’s favourite subject: skills and the current and future shortages which concern us all. For that I’d urge that despite the uncertainty and probable bumps in the road coming our way, maintain your commitment shown in this report to the actions that seed the future talent pipeline our industry will need. Invest in the foundation, modern and graduate apprentices as you have done, more if you can, and try to continue to say yes to work experience and student summer placements to ensure that those leaving school, further and higher education have the experience they need to work effectively in our industry.
2019 has been a special year, marking the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Engineering Society, inspiring numerous events across the country that have brought focus to our efforts to improve our diversity in Industry.
So, as we close the year it seems fair to pose the question: how far have we advanced in 100 years? Well, we’ve come a long way since the days of blatant discrimination targeted at Women trying to enter the Engineering sector, and there are certainly policy and legislative support mechanisms in place which aim to “hold the gains”. Yet no matter how welcome these are, let’s not kid ourselves as even now there are still significant barriers to overcome. So, what steps do we next take to make significant progress?
Those much longer in industry than me acknowledge that there has been much talk on the subject, with a fraction of that energy reflected in actual progress. We know that addressing the root causes of gender inequality in Engineering Manufacturing is no mean feat, but we also know that by working together with Governments, Education and Employers, reflecting on current practices and developing better cultures, change can be affected.
Perhaps there has never been a better time to remind ourselves of the prize to be had from attracting more women in to Industry. Scottish manufacturing and engineering employers are acutely aware of the need for skilled workers, where many factors culminate in a current and future shortage of STEM talent. Anything that raises the current 11% of women represented in Industry is going to help that picture, and actions which make our industry more attractive to everyone will help encourage all young people to consider a career in STEM.
Even with so much opportunity and demand, we are still struggling to attract young women to pursue a career in Engineering. Underrepresentation of women in our sector sadly deters many from even applying, as many young women and girls don’t feel they belong in the sector. Engineering is a fantastic career with a diverse range of areas to work in, however narrow perceptions that engineering is for men, or that engineering can’t be creative are dated and highly inaccurate. Young people want a career with a moral purpose that will contribute to improving society or saving the planet. We need to change the way we talk about engineering and show how it will transform the future. Engineers save more lives than doctors, as it is engineers who build hospitals, design the equipment doctors use to treat patients and provide access to clean energy, water and sanitation.
It’s important to highlight that women don’t solely benefit from equality, as wider Industry reaps the benefits of having a more diverse workplace, and we know that diversity of thought is great for the bottom line. Having a balanced workforce in every respect enhances creativity, constructive debate and creates a better understanding of the ever-changing challenges and needs of our sector.
In 2019 the Women’s Engineering Society welcomed the joint initiative for Diversity, Inclusion and Unconscious Bias training to industry brought by Equate Scotland, SEMTA and Scottish Engineering, and congratulations to those companies that participated in this. But it’s equally important that support such as this is not a one-off initiative. In that respect it is very welcome news that, having won funding from the Workplace Equality Fund, this initiative will expand and continue into 2020, with a wider remit of support enabled by a project officer based in Scottish Engineering.
To return to my initial question: what progress have we made in 100 years? Well definitely some, and it’s clear that it has been delivered where actions speak louder than words, and a commitment to culture change has been embraced throughout an organization.
In this respect, good intentions alone are not enough if we wish for a 2119 where this is simply no longer a talking point. For that we need actions, not good intentions.
The views expressed by the guest writer are not necessarily those of Scottish Engineering
