A key CECA Scotland priority is to attract, secure and train a diverse world class workforce. Right now, just 5% of engineers in Scotland are women and only 10% of those undertaking STEM apprenticeships are women (just 6% in engineering apprenticeships and only 1% in construction). And this is despite the fact that at school, girls outperform boys in most STEM related subjects.

Although the number of women in engineering is slowly rising, with graduate numbers at 18%, women with STEM qualifications are three times less likely to be working in STEM roles than men. In fact, according to figures from SDS, 70% of women do not stay in STEM after getting STEM related qualifications.

The story is even less encouraging when we look at girls and women taking apprenticeships. Women account for only 10% of all STEM related apprenticeships and just 6% of engineering apprenticeships.

Shockingly, the number of female engineers working within the construction industry in Scotland is the lowest in Europe. This means we are missing out on the skills, creativity and talent of women in our sector. It also means that company leadership in the engineering sector continues to be male dominated, despite the clear evidence that diversity on boards improves company performance and profitability.

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And that's why we are supporting International Women in Engineering Day, an international awareness day to support, inspire, celebrate and raise the profile of women in engineering.

#INWED19 is an opportunity to highlight the exciting careers in the civil engineering sector for girls, young people and women returners and to celebrate the achievements of women engineers already working in our industry.

The theme for INWED19 is #TransformTheFuture and as the day falls on a Sunday this year, campaign organisers – the Women's Engineering Society – are encouraging supporters to participate during the week leading up to Sunday 23 June, as well as scheduling social media for 12 noon on the day itself, to help get #INWED19 trending.

We will be supporting #INWED19 by promoting a series of blogs, telling the stories of young women's journeys into civil engineering and we would encourage CECA Scotland members to get involved.

With a large skills gap looming and our industry facing real demographic challenges, there has never been a more important time to inspire and encourage more people, especially women, to choose a career in engineering.

By supporting and participating in International Women in Engineering Day 2019 (#INWED19),  you are helping to:

Celebrate women in engineering in Scotland and across the globe

Raise the profile and awareness of women in STEM, engineering and allied sectors

Demonstrate a commitment to diversity

Inspire future generations!

We hope CECA Scotland members will get involved in supporting this campaign.