Flying high Meet the most senior female officer in the RAF Vince Cable talks The changes that could affect you Innovation in academia The award changing the lives of female scientists A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT WOMEN IN S.E.T Role model : Emily Nicholls, Winner of the Year in Industry Award 2010, shares her experiences as a woman working in S.E.T SUCCEED IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY 6 STEPS PHOTO: PRIVATE
Transcript
Flying high Meet the most seniorfemale offi cer in the RAF
Vince Cable talks The changes that could affect you
Innovation in academiaThe award changing the lives of female scientists
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT
WOMEN IN S.E.T
Role model: Emily Nicholls, Winner of the Year in Industry Award 2010, shares her experiences as a woman working in S.E.T
SUCCEED IN SCIENCE,
ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY
6STEPS
P
HO
TO
: PR
IVA
TE
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT2 · NOVEMBER 2010
Closing the SET gender gap
The culture of SET still presents tangible barriers to women, which not only limit their potential to lead fulfi lling careers, but also means a valuable resource is being squandered
‘Improving gender equality is not just about social justice and fair-ness: gender equality makes good business sense’
Vince CableWhy moves to recruit more women in SET could boost the economy
WE RECOMMEND
PAGE 4
Top of her game p. 61. Meet Emily Nicholls, winner of the Year in Industry Award 2010
High-fliers p. 102. Discover the opportunities available to women in the RAF
WOMEN IN SET, 3RD EDITION, NOVEMBER 2010
Managing Director: Willem De GeerEditorial Director: Katherine WoodleyBusiness Developer: Christopher Emberson Sub-editor: Danielle Stagg
Welcome to Wom-en in SET, a guide designed to in-spire debate, creativity and
action to support growth and equal-ity in the key sectors of science, engi-neering and technology.
The heart of the issue
1Despite advances in equality, women are grossly under-rep-
resented in SET jobs, making up just 12.3 per cent of the 5.5 million work-ers. But, by 2020, there will be a shortfall of 600,000 working people aged 15–24, which will have negative consequences for industry if SET does not become a more viable career choice for women.
The gender imbalance limits in-dustry, as well as women. Employ-ers aren’t maximising productivity and women are taking roles below their skills levels, which impacts on their aspirations, economic contribu-tion and earnings. This doesn’t make sense. The UK has to nurture talent, address demographic change and an ageing population and build a more diverse workforce in order to improve
business performance. The competi-tive advantages women bring to SET in terms of excellence, innovation and leadership are increasingly rec-ognised by leading organisations.
Breaking bad habits
2Ensuring a pipeline of girls stud-ying SET subjects is essential,
but it’s just as important to stem the fl ow of qualifi ed women who choose not to work in SET. In 2008, of the 620,000 female SET grad-uates, over 70 per cent chose not to work in the industries. Why?
The culture of SET, in education and industry, can present tangible barriers to women. Entrenched prac-tices and unconscious bias are com-mon. To change the culture, we need more champions from industry and academia, as well as exemplar em-ployers. Progress on gender equality should be transparent. An encour-agement to collect gender equality data can benchmark progress and guide strategy.
A time for change
3The government is increasing the number of apprenticeship
places in SET sectors, but we need more proactive measures to recruit girls to the schemes.Flexible work-ing would make a huge diff erence to women. Flexible working helps women get to the top and dispels negative stereotypes when they re-turn after a career break. If managed well, there is no loss of productivity. Removing its negative connotations can give women the fl exibility they need. Part-time or fl exible working also increasingly suits many men.
Even women who don’t take career breaks don’t get to the top in equal numbers as men. A lack of women in decision-making positions is a big issue in male-dominated indus-tries. In 2008, women held only 9 per cent of board directorships in SET FTSE 100 companies, and exclusive-ly male boards existed in 35 per cent of these. SET companies should be encouraged to make a voluntary but public commitment to achieving at least 32 per cent women board mem-bers by 2020.
There remains a need for persua-sive strategies and eff ective resourc-es. Government leadership remains crucial in SET policy.
Annette Williams Director of the UKRC, the Government’s lead organisation advancing gender equality in science, engineering and technology
CHALLENGES
‘Despite advances in equality, women are grossly under-represented in SET jobs, making up just 12.3 per cent of the 5.5 million workers’
University of Plymouth www.plymouth.ac.uk
the University of Plymouth could be the perfect place for you to study.
If you are a female interested in Science, Engineering and
Technology,
University of Plymouth is a recipient of the Athena Bronze award in recognition of good practice in advancing the careers of women scientists and engineers. A Silver award is held by Engineering, Computing and Mathematics. As part of our commitment, the Faculty of Science and Technology runs a that connects you with other female students in these subjects for social events, advice and career development activities.
Visit www.plymouth.ac.uk for further information on the courses available to you and www.plymouth.ac.uk/witnet for further information about the Women in Technology Network
For further detailsTelephone: +44(0)1752 584 584Email: [email protected]
Atkins has many interesting and diverse opportunities for women in science and engineering. Attracting, retaining and developing talented people is important to us, regardless of gender or ethnicity. It is easy to understand why we are so proud of our many talented women.
Proud of our women in science and engineering >
Marie joined Atkins in September 2008 as a graduate engineer. She studied mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham. Her role since joining Atkins has proved varied and interesting, from working as a stress engineer on the next generation composite wing research programme to her current project working on-site in Airbus as the flight controls system installation design specialist.
Marie is active in promoting engineering to younger women and is involved in a number of programmes and events. One such example saw her taking a lead coordination role supporting an event to inspire women into science and engineering careers, and she continues to mentor a young girl in year 11 who has developed an early interest in science and engineering.
Marie Adeyemi Mechanical engineer, Aerospace
Dr Linda Ashton Principal consultant, Nuclear
Despite starting her career as a banker, Kim soon realised her calling as an ecologist. Kim joined Atkins in 2006 and is currently the senior ecologist on the Olympic Park site. Her role is focussed on protecting the natural environment (as part of a major infrastructure project), assessing areas of conservation sensitivity and working out how to preserve it or move it out of harms way.
Kim volunteers for the Surrey Wildlife Trust and has been involved in working with children to bring to life ecology and the importance of habitat. Kim is currently featured in a limited edition calendar and exhibition produced to celebrate the women working across the Olympic Park project.
Linda Ashton is a principal environmental consultant within the nuclear division at Atkins. Since joining Atkins from British Nuclear Fuels Limited in 2005, Linda has become a senior and valued member of the nuclear team. With more than 15 years’ practical experience in the provision of nuclear and environmental management consultancy to the UK Government and private companies, Linda is a role model for women in this sector.
She is a chartered chemist with a PhD in nuclear waste management. Her key areas of expertise include radioactive waste management, plant decommissioning, client development, stakeholder engagement, environmental management and training.
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT4 · NOVEMBER 2010
The facts are not encouraging. Of al-most 5.5 million people working in SET occupations (including skilled trades) in the UK in 2008, only 12.3 per cent were women. Among the almost half a million engineering profes-sionals, only 6.9 per cent were wom-en. Among the 460,000 ICT profes-sionals, only 14 per cent were women.
As of 2008, there are 620,000 women SET graduates, which sounds promising until you realise 70 per cent of these do not work in SET jobs. It doesn’t help that a mere 9 per cent of full-time STEM (Sci-
ence, technology, engineering and maths professors are female.
My department, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, is committed to ensuring that the SET workforce is representative of wid-er society. Funding is in place for several initiatives, events and pro-grammes, which are aimed at in-creasing diversity in this area, but we realise there is some way to go.
There are wider concerns around the fact that, in 2008, women held only 9 per cent of board directorships in SET FTSE 100 companies, and ex-clusively male boards still existed in 35 per cent of SET companies. On-ly a third of SET FTSE 100 companies
had more than one female director on their boards – and the gender pay gap for science and technology pro-fessionals was 11 per cent.
Improving gender equality is not just about social justice and fairness: gender equality makes good business sense. These sectors are vital to our future and they need and deserve the most tal-ented workforce. That means men and women. The loss to the UK economy by qualifi ed women scientists, technol-ogists and engineers working below their level of qualifi cation, or being un-employed or inactive, is estimated to be £2bn. We must do better.
Unleashing women’s potential in the workplace could add up to £23bn to the economy – so it is in the interests of busi-ness, the economy and society at large that we work hard to correct the im-balances which still exist in 21st century Britain.
Vince CableBusiness Secretary for the Coalition Government
Girls AllowedEngineering - it’s not just for boys!We offer a range of different development programmes that equip you with the skills and capabilities you need in a variety of roles from planning and designing, to negotiating and supervising. We’ll give you all the training and development you need to become a qualifi ed engineer on our gas/electricity networks - and we’ll pay you (very well), it’s a win/win opportunity!
www.nationalgridcareers.com
LOOK FOR CHANGE
1STEP
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What skills are Google looking for in potential employees?We take great care in how we attract and hire the top talent because peo-ple are our most important asset. We look for people who will thrive in small teams in high-energy envi-ronments, people who believe in the ability of technology to change the world, and are as passionate about their lives as their work.
Are women coming forward with the right skills?The number of women studying com-puter science is small compared to men, so we work with partner organ-isations from kindergartens to post-graduate schools to encourage more girls to go into IT. Examples include the Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards which promote STEM and CS education in under-represented groups, and the Google
Anita Borg Scholarships for women studying CS subjects at university.
Does the geeky image of IT deter women?There are many female role mod-els in high-powered careers who are dispelling the myth of the geeky en-gineer, such as Google’s fi rst female engineer Marissa Mayer, who rose to Engineering VP and in 2008 was the youngest woman ever on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list.
Can IT help women combine work and family?We provide the most up-to-date tools to enable Googlers to work as effi ciently as possible. For example, videoconferencing facilities mean communication can always be face to face – even from home.
How is technology making life better for women?Collaborative working and easy communication online benefit women who are accustomed to juggling complex lives. For many women around the world, the in-ternet improves access to educa-tion, and enables many to start their own businesses.
MarkPalmer-EdgecumbeHead of diversity and inclusion, GoogleGoogle aims to increase the number of women studying computer science to restore the balance of the sexes in engineering
QUESTION & ANSWER
MOVING FORWARDThe Department for Innovation and Skills is committed to improving the role of women in SETPHOTO: STOCKLITE
A number of opportunities in IT, says Google
NEWS IN BRIEF
Women in SETThe ratio of women to men in
engineering worldwide increased to 20 per cent by the 1990s but has slipped back to below 10 per cent in some countries, including the UK, a Unesco report has found.
Computer games developers are desperate to employ women but few apply, according to Ian Goodall of recruitment agency Aardvark Swift: “The studios want to employ more women to make games that appeal to women and families.”
Fathers want to do more house-work, spend more time with the kids and want partners who are as committed to their work as they are, according to a survey for the charity Working Families. “Fa-thers want to spend more time with their children and are doing more of the direct care for them,” said researcher Caroline Gatrell of Lancaster University.
Jobs for girls
Men at home
BE PART OF OUR SUCCESS
SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica company, is a leader in defence electronics and develops state-of-the-art equipment to keep our Armed Forces safe.
With a 7,000-strong international workforce across the United Kingdom, Italy, United States and Saudi Arabia, we are always looking for people with a science and engineering background who thrive on a challenge and the development of cutting-edge technologies.
www.selexgalileo.com
Are you themissing piece?
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT6 · NOVEMBER 2010
A year not wasted
Young scientist Emily Nicholls has marked herself out as a future leader in the SET sector by winning top prize in the Year in Industry (YINI) Awards for her project on Recycling Radioactive Waste.
Emily’s project for Babcock Ma-rine, which was chosen ahead of 500 rival gap year schemes, was: “The most signifi cant contribution to the business of their host com-pany”. It allows Babcock to recycle an extra 245 tonnes a year, saving £245,000.
Emily, from Plymouth, was sal-aried, but her rewards for her gap year went far beyond money.
“I gained technical knowledge which I can use in my physics degree at Exeter; I also learned a lot about the commercial side of business,” she said. “It has opened my eyes to career possibilities and my confi -dence has rocketed, which is bene-fi cial throughout my life,” she said. Emily had to make an assessment
of Babcock’s redundant radioactive equipment, which was then sent to a metal melting facility to have its recyclable material extracted, so
that less metal required disposing. Emily measured the activity of
the radionuclides in the waste us-ing complex mathematical mod-
els, software and spreadsheets. She also made transport arrangements for its consignment. The project was a fi rst for Babcock.
Considering Emily’s success, her reasons for doing a gap year are sur-prising. “I studied English and phi-losophy at A level, as well as physics and chemistry. This meant I couldn’t study physics at university until I had taught myself A level maths, which I did during the gap year.
“I love philosophy and fi nd it easier than physics, but I like a challenge. I also had to be realistic about career prospects.”
Emily adapted quickly to the male-dominated environment at Babcock. “I never found it an issue. Some of the older engineers can be set in their ways, but the graduates are more aware of issues.”
She was, though, struck by inven-tor James Dyson’s statement that 4 per cent of girls want to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, whereas 32 per cent want to be models. “It’s a prob-lem that can partly be solved by bet-ter careers advice at school. Teens don’t know how many interesting jobs are out there,” she said.
‘Some of the older engineers can be set in their ways, but the graduates are more aware of issues’
Gender breakdown by current employment in Cogent Sector (2010 figures):
Chemicals: Females 26%, Males
74%
Pharmaceuticals: Females 46%,
males 54%
Nuclear: Females 18%, males
82%
Petroleum: Females 45%, male
55%
Polymers: Females 21%, males
79%
Across the Cogent science-based sector UK:
Females 28%, but in Northern
Ireland it’s 36%
Gender divide in STEM students (2008, later figures being updated now):
First degree: Females 32%,
males 68%
Postgraduate: Females 23%,
males 70%
Foundation degree: Females
15%, males 85%
Mervin Dadd, Director of External Affairs and Communications, Cogent and the Sector Skills Council for the science based industries
Too often, career ambitions di-vide along gender lines with more girls interested in veterinary sci-ence and a smaller proportion (mainly boys) considering engi-neering disciplines.
Some progress has been made. The number of girls taking fur-ther mathematics, technology, physics and other science sub-jects at A-level has increased. And the girls often outperform boys. In 2009, girls did better in six out of 12 STEM GCSE subjects. They also beat boys in A-grade attain-ment in all but two A-level STEM subjects.
But where are the bright girls going? The sad truth is female graduates are not heading towards employment in those areas.
So what can be done? Better ca-reers advice is essential. We found that 53 per cent of 14—16 year olds did not have regular career ses-sions at school. And 30 per cent of students at careers fairs wanted to get into forensic science.
Clearly the world does not need so many forensic scientists. But only a few of these potential CSI sleuths had a clue about other sci-ence-based roles despite the fact that 63 per cent of 14—16 year old students were interested in a ca-reer in the sector.
For information about careers in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymers see: www.cogent–careers.com
NEWS IN BRIEF
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT8 · NOVEMBER 2010
Question: What can be done to prevent women dropping out of science?Answer: Awards such as L’Oréal’s help address some of the personal issues
L’Oréal helps put Dr Biro on the right pathWomen leave science at almost twice the rate of men according to a survey of 1,300 scientists by the cosmetics compa-ny L’Oréal and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lack of female role models and issues around childcare were two major factors. Sadly, successful female scientists are far less likely than male counterparts to be married and have kids.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO award ‘For Wom-en in Science’ grants money to female post-doctoral researchers which can be spent on indirect research costs, such as childcare. One of the four 2010 winners, Dora Biro, a zoologist at Oxford Univer-sity, will use some of her £15,000 award to fund travel to and from Leuven, in Bel-gium, where her partner and two-year-old daughter live.
Dr Biro said: “I’ll spend some of the money on equipment, including GPS
tracker development, to help me look at the social transmission of navigation-al information in birds. But I can use part of it for things like childcare and travel. It’s incredibly helpful to me. The L’Oréal award is unique among grants and fellowships in that it is totally fl ex-ible, allowing me to allocate some of the award to childcare costs.”
Dr Biro said her partner was also an aca-demic, but had been unable to fi nd a job at the same university, or even in the same country. “He has a more stable schedule than I do because he doesn’t do fi eld work at the University of Leuven, so it’s easier for my daughter to live with him.”
The kind of awkward situation faced by Dr Biro and her partner is common among European academics. Often, it forces one partner to quit academia, or put their career on hold.
“I know people who left academia and industry because of childcare issues, and it’s often the woman who made the
sacrifi ce,” she said. She explained that life was easier for couples employed at the same university, a fact appreciated more in the United States.
“Once one partner is employed, US universities often go out of their way to fi nd a job for the other partner,” she said. “They see it as a business and reason that if the only way to get the person they re-ally want is to employ their partner as well, let’s do it.
“But I do think it’s changing here fast-er than in other parts of Europe. I’ve heard of British universities becoming more willing to employ both partners.”
Dr Biro loves working as an academic and would hate to leave the fi eld.
“Although I do experiments on pi-geons, I’m not a pigeon fancier, or even a bird watcher. What I like is the proc-ess of science. I love doing experiments to answer questions about animals and the ways they evolved,” she said. The L’Oréal award will facilitate her experi-
ments about the existence of ‘culture’ in animals. “We tend to think of culture as meaning art and literature, but it’s also about the way we live. I’ll be study-ing social learning in birds and asking: Are birds’ migration patterns genetical-ly pre-programmed or can they learn it from parents? Anecdotally it’s the latter, at least in some birds.
“There’s a suggestion that one family might have a diff erent route to another. It is passed on from generation to gener-ation. That’s simple culture, but it’s still culture. I’ll be trying to understand the extent to which individuals can learn navigation from each other,” she said.
The L’Oréal award will also help Dr Biro with her own weekly navigation routes between Oxford and Belgium.
‘The L’Oréal award is unique among grants and fellowships in that it is totally fl exible’Dora Biro — Winner, the L’Oréal-UNESCO award
INSPIRATION
SUPPORTINNOVATION
3STEP
Successful entrepreneur, Fiona Cruickshank is a leading business figure withinNorth East England. Co-owner and director of SCM Pharma, Fiona was born
in Northumberland, graduated from the London University School of Pharmacy
and worked around the UK before returning to the North East to set up her first
company, The Specials Laboratory, in 1999 and later SCM Pharma in 2004.
Committed to supporting North East England’s local knowledge economy,
Fiona is a business mentor at Durham University, an ambassador for the in-
ternational One North East campaign and a former David Goldman Visiting
Professor of Business Innovation at Newcastle University Business School.
In June 2010, she was awarded with an OBE following the unveiling of the
Queen’s annual 2010 Birthday Honours List for services to business in the
North East and is a former North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.
Fiona, a registered pharmacist, is also an active Volunteer Business Adviser for Young Enterprise
North East and a member of the Advisory Board at Newcastle University Business School. Fiona was
also a founder of Women into the Network, and has more recently offered a bursary for women in
science, to encourage females to enter this sector as a career.
SCM Pharma is a pharmaceutical contract-manufacturing organisation based in North East England,
which provides a wide range of outsourced development, manufacturing, filling and packaging
services. One of its current projects is an ongoing contract with Glide Pharma to test different
formulations of drug pastes for needleless injections, concentrating on drugs for unusual illnesses
such as some types of childhood cancers.
SCM Pharma is one of the 550 member companies of NEPIC, the North East Process Industry Cluster.
Established in 2005 to support the interests of the region’s process and science based industry
through collaborative working and knowledge sharing, NEPIC believes ambassadors such as Fiona
are vital to the regions success.
Stan Higgins Chief Executive of NEPIC was one of the first industry leaders to sign the UK Resource Centre
for Women in Science, Engineering & Technology CEO’s Charter in 2008, to encourage women into these
sectors. Stan commented “Fiona’s work and prominence should be real inspiration to other women to
enter the science and engineering industries. Furthermore, as an entrepreneur in the Science, Engineering,
Technology and Mathematics based (STEM) industries, Fiona is proof that women who have creative ideas
can get them to market and develop winning businesses.
He continued: “STEM businesses are no longer dominated by males and today we can be proud of the
many British women that are prominent scientists, engineers and business leaders. Some of the world’s
major scientific breakthroughs have been brought about by women. For example Rosalind Franklin’s
work led to the Crick and Watson work on the structure of DNA; and today, closer to home, I am proud
to say that more than 50 per cent of NEPIC’s Young Achiever Awards for the best young people in the
Process Industry, have been women.”
Fiona Cruickshank said: “The North East has strong networks of experienced people in the process
industry and excellent support from the universities, private sector life science companies and
public sector organisations such as NEPIC. Over the last ten years, we have been able to build
two successful technology businesses and offer real career development opportunities for young
scientists and engineers.”
www.nepic.co.uk www.scm-pharma.com
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IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLDDr Biro (far left) and the other winners of the L’Oréal-Unesco award ‘For Women in Science’, 2010PHOTO: L’ORÉAL
Women in scienceDr Sarah Baillie has been
named a UKRC Woman of
Outstanding Achievement for
her invention of the Haptic Cow,
which has revolutionised the
teaching of veterinary science.
Sarah, a Senior Lecturer at
the Royal Veterinary College,
worked as a vet before retraining
in computer sciences. She
developed the robot as a
Phd student.
“Before the invention, there was a lot of blind learning.
Students couldn’t see what they were doing and teachers had to guess. Now they can feel the aor-ta pulsing, and touch the uterus,” she said. The teachers follow the in-ternal examination on a computer monitor and the simulator ‘moos’ if students apply excessive force.
EXPERT COMMENT
Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles to solve medically important problems. It is a multidisciplinary and rapidly expanding branch of engineering and encompasses a wide range of areas from lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, to prosthetics and rehabilitation, from imaging technologies to implanted devices such as pacemakers, stents and hearing aids. Studying for a degree in biomedical engineering at Imperial College London will help you to realise your potential and will pave the way for a career in this rapidly expanding, highly important and topical area of engineering.
Undergraduate degreesThe Department offers two undergraduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering: a three year BEng and a four year MEng, both fully accredited by two major engineering institutions, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Taught postgraduate degreesWe offer a one year MSc in Biomedical Engineering. You can tailor the course to your own specifi c interests by choosing one of the four available steams: Biomaterials, biomechanics, medical physics or neurotechnology.
Research postgraduate degreesThe Department provides a highly stimulating environment for PhD research and our PhD programme attracts outstanding students from a variety of academic backgrounds.
With the highest percentage of female undergraduates in the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London, we are in a very special place to support women in engineering. For further information on any of our programmes of study please visit www.imperial.ac.uk/bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering
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‘ I don’t think of myself as a woman offi cer but as a fellow offi cer who happens to be a woman’
Barbara CooperThe most seniorfemale offi cer in the RAF
10 · NOVEMBER 2010
Women high-fl iers lead the way
The most senior female offi cer in the Royal Air Force, Air Commodore Bar-bara Cooper, says barriers to women’s advancement in the air force have vanished.
Commandant of the Air Cadet Or-ganisation, Cooper, contrasted the RAF’s attitudes to women today with attitudes when she joined in 1978.
“The Sex Discrimination Act was passed in 1975 so it was an exciting time for women, but there were be-haviours back then which would be unacceptable now. As a junior offi c-er, I was told at a dining-in night that after dinner, when the men went to the bar to smoke cigars, it was time for women to retire,” she said.
“The RAF follows societal trends. It’s now a non-event and women are completely integrated. I don’t think of myself as a woman officer but as a fellow officer who happens to be a woman. Women want to be part of the team and not identified as special because
they are women,” she said.Cooper said the next break-
through will be having more wom-en at senior level. “We have had a lot of fi rsts – fi rst Red Arrows pilot, fi rst Rescue Helicopter Squadron Com-mander; the next fi rsts will be at senior level. And our senior female
pilots are well-placed to be competi-tive for those positions,” she said.
The RAF is still male-dominated, but more women recruits will help as they ‘up the game’ of any group they belong to.
“Single-gender groups act in a diff erent way to mixed-gender
ones,” she said. “In the RAF, wom-en’s presence has improved quali-ty of output, which is fantastic for women,” she said.
The Canadian-born Cooper has had a glittering career and was awarded the CBE for providing op-erational support for troops in the Gulf confl ict. But her current role as Commandant of the Air Cadet Or-ganisation is her favourite. “It’s eas-ily the best job in the RAF,” she said.
It’s a big responsibility. Not only does she act as a chief executive to a multi-million-pound organisation, she travels the length and breadth of the UK meeting cadets and adult volunteers. And there are a lot of them. There are 45,000 teenage ca-dets and 15,000 volunteers, making the ACO a slightly larger organisa-tion than the RAF.
It’s not an offi cial recruitment programme, but about 40 per cent of RAF pilots were cadets.
“We instil into youngsters an in-terest in the RAF, aerospace and aviation,” she said. “Whatever they go on to do in their adult lives we are helping to produce responsible citizens.”
For more information go to www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets
ROLE MODELWomen are quickly rising through the ranks of the RAFPHOTO: MR GRAHAM
KISHERE
INSPIRATION
HOW WE MADE IT
QUESTION & ANSWER
What are your duties?
I’ve been in a bomb disposal role in Afghanistan for four years. I went as second in command of the IED (Im-provised Explosive Devices) group.
Was it a stressful place to be?
For operators it was tough, but I was in a management role. I ran the ex-plosives teams, dealt with muni-tions and ran the counter-IED take over. It was as much about leader-ship as understanding engineering, or explosives.
At times it was hard being away from my two-year-old daughter, but that’s why I joined and why I chose to return after having my daughter. And the support network is fantas-tic. We’re much better resourced than a few years ago.
Is it male-dominated?
If you have professional ability and the other things that go with being an army offi cer, like fi tness and the ability to work with men, it’s not an issue.
What do you enjoy?
The diversity. I’ve deconstructed de-fence buildings in Northern Ireland, spent six months in the Falklands as an engineer advisor, and been to Afghanistan.
Is it a good career for young
women?
Yes. But expect it to be diff erent to comparable careers in, say, London.
You are out of the offi ce a lot, and interacting with people rather than doing technical things. But if you want diversity it could be for you.
You can become a chartered civ-il engineer in the army, but it’s as much about people and lifestyle as engineering.
Major Charlotte SklenarImprovised Explosive Devices
FACTS
Between 1997 and 1 April 2010
the percentage of women in the
UK Regular Forces rose from 7% to
9.6%. There were 191,660 in total,
with 18,320 women. Some 12.2%
of all officers were women.
The Army is 108,870 strong
with 8,570 women (7.9%). Out of
its 14,640 officers, some 1,660 are
women (11.3%).
The RAF is 44,050 strong with
6,040 women (13.7%). Out of its
9,820 officers, some 1,510 are
women (15.4%).
The navy is 38,730 strong with
3,710 women (9.6%). Out of its
7,460 officers some 720 are
women (9.7%).
(Source: DASA)
AIM FORTHE TOP
4STEP
PHOTO: RAF CRANWELL PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION
Various Opportunities | Cheltenham | £competitive + benefitsWe don’t usually say it with cables...or flowers. We show our appreciation with exceptional development
opportunities and flexible working options. Working with the latest technology we deliver vital intelligence
that helps protect the UK in the fight against terrorism and crime, and provide world class advice and
consultancy on information security issues to customers in government and industry. We offer a variety
of rewarding roles, including engineering, mathematics, IT, cyber, information assurance, research and
languages. Our highly skilled and dedicated workforce consists of all types of people, from all backgrounds,
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We currently have opportunities in our research & development and mathematics departments, as well as
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www.careersinbritishintelligence.co.ukApplicants must be British citizens. GCHQ values diversity and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community.
We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our work. it’s an interesting world
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT12 · NOVEMBER 2010
Jaguar Land Rover has teamed up with sector skills council Semta to redress the gender imbalance in the automotive industry.
It is imperative for the automo-tive industry to attract women re-cruits. Otherwise the retirement of a lot of ageing white males will leave a shortfall over the next few years. In the manufacturing industry as a whole, 200,000 new recruits will be needed from 2010-2016.
Jaguar Land Rover hoped to ad-dress the issue through the Wom-en and Work programme, which re-quires companies to match Semta’s contribution of £400 per person. The initial Jaguar Land Rover cohort was of 42 workers.
The programme, which includ-ed individual development support and leadership workshops, was very productive, according to the compa-ny’s Diversity and Inclusion HR Di-retor Des Thurlby.
“It gave individuals the chance to refl ect on their own style and
personal branding and gave them confi dence to ask the right ques-tions and think about what they want from their careers,” he said. “It’s not just about getting promot-ed; it’s about enabling women to
see what success would look like for them.” The programme was consid-ered such a success that Jaguar Land Rover has trebled its commitment with 122 women having now partici-pated in the programme.
The Semta scheme also worked well for women at the independ-ent engineering design consultancy Houlder Ltd. “It motivated employ-ees and helped build a cohesive team among our minority female group, drawing in staff from regional offi c-es,” said HR Manager, Margot Free-man. “It has improved communica-tions, helped some women make in-ternal career moves, and we think it will also improve staff retention.”
One enthusiastic participant was Senior Naval Architect, Ema Muk-Pavic. She had coaching sessions on Emotions and Behaviours at Work and Positive and Confi dent Behaviour, which helped her to focus on emo-tional intelligence in the workplace.
And she also had workshops on career development. “I am a work-ing mum and took a career break. I would recommend the Semta pro-gramme not only to working mums but to young girls when choosing their career path. I found the Train-ing and Development Needs and Identifi cation Workshop particular-ly helpful. I have more enthusiasm to continue my professional devel-opment and am more confi dent of reaching my potential,” she said.
Semta programme helps fast-track women
LEARNING NEW SKILLS Engineering holds many opportunities PHOTO: SEMTA
Women could boost economy by £23bn Women form more than 50 per cent of the labour market, but less than 20 per cent are in science, engineering and manufacturing technologies where only 6 per cent of engineers and 11 per cent of managers are female
This means that females are working in roles well below their skill levels, and education-al levels. Harnessing the skills of women could benefit the national economy by £23bn a year.
Research from Cranfield Uni-versity has highlighted a lack of female directors in all sectors of Britain’s top businesses, with women making up only 12.2 per cent of directors of the FTSE 100 companies in 2009.
The low proportion of women holding directorships suggests British business is not using all of the skills and talents of the workforce effectively.
To find out more about Semta, the sector skills council for science, en-gineering and manufacturing tech-nologies, go to www.semta.org.uk
Only 5.3 per cent (674,000 women),
about one in 20, working women
are employed in any SET (science,
engineering, technology) job, compared
to 31.3 per cent of working men. A man
is six times more likely to work in SET.
Women make up only 12.3 per cent
of people working in all SET. But wom-
en account for 45.1 per cent of the UK
workforce, with 12.7 million workers. To
achieve parity nearly four times as many
women would need to take up SET jobs.
STEM graduates don’t always work
in SET. Only 29.8 per cent (185,000)
of 620,000 female STEM graduates
of working age are employed in SET
compared to half (782,000) of males.
SOURCE: UKRC
FACTS
There is nothing quite like a career journey at Jaguar Land Rover. Just like our vehicles, when it comes to our people, we source the finest quality raw materials, develop innovation and build
something great. So whether you are just starting out in your career or already have experience and an established track record, you’ll find there’s no better place to accelerate your career.
Wherever you’re heading, make Jaguar Land Rover your ultimate destination.
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difference
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT14 · NOVEMBER 2010
Inspiring roles for womenCreativity is one of the hall-
marks of a great engineer — look at Brunel’s designs for
Paddington Station or Telford’s great bridges — but it is often regarded as a strength of women over men. So per-haps it is not surprising that crea-tivity is what the fi nalists in the IET Young Woman Engineer Award 2010 value in their chosen profession.
Arlene McConnell discovered she was an engineer on active service in the Gulf in 2003. School had failed to inspire her with its academic ap-proach to science and mathematics. In Iraq, she found that engineering is about practical things.
“I was a regimental gunner in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, pro-tecting air force bases,” she recalls. “While there I discovered a talent for fi xing broken things like Land Rovers, which I found quite easy to
repair. I realised I had a natural tal-ent for making things that made life more comfortable, like a pulley system for closing the door quietly that I rigged up.”
After a HND in automotive engi-neering and a degree in electronic and electrical engineering at Glas-gow, she works as a radar systems engineer at Selex Gallileo.
Now McConnell spends time help-ing girls discover their inner engi-neer. “Engineering is seen as ana-lytical and problem solving, which boys are good at, but I think it is the opposite, creative and involving lat-eral thinking, which girls are good at,” she says.
Hayley Morson works on the BAE Ty-phoon fi ghter aircraft, in a team de-veloping the interfaces between the aircraft and ground equipment. “I have been fascinated by engineer-
ing from a very early age, looking at equipment and working out how to make it better,” she says.
“It started in the playground, pick-ing sycamore seeds up and watching them fl y. I was the one with the tech-nical Lego – Barbie got stuck in the corner.”
On leaving school, Morson went to Liverpool University to study aero-space engineering at Bachelors and Masters level. Now she is established she wants to rise up the engineering tree.
“My aim is to become a team lead-er and achieve Chartered Engineer status,” she says. Meanwhile, she de-rives a great deal of satisfaction from seeing her aircraft in the air: “It gives me a great feeling when I’m walking to the car park and a Typhoon fl ies over supersonically, setting off all the car alarms.”
Charlotte Gough helps create the electrical systems for new models of one of the great car marques — Bentley.
“From the age of 12, I have been interested in cars,” she says. “When I left school I was happy to be a mechanic but I found I want-ed something more challenging than changing tyres and doing services.”
The Government was promot-ing new apprenticeships as a way for less academically minded peo-ple to get on-the-job training.
“I applied for every apprentice-ship I could find,” Gough says.
The craft technician appren-ticeship at Bentley was a dream come true, and now she has moved onwards to a degree course.
For Gough, job satisfaction comes from seeing systems she has helped develop become a re-ality, such as the new system that enables Bentleys to run on biofuels.
“I was involved in the Flexfu-el system in the new Mulsanne,” she says with pride.
Engineering is as much about creativity and insight as analysis and calculation, making it just as suitable a profession for girls as boys, say the fi nalists in the IET Young Woman Engineer 2010 Award, talking to Chris Partridge
A cluster of young stars, one brilliant performer.RS, proud sponsors of the IET young woman
engineer of the year 2010.
Over 12 years ago, L’Oréal and UNESCO founded the For Women In Science Programme to promote and highlight the importance of ensuring greater participation of women in science.
Each year, the programme recognises the achievements of exceptional female scientists and awards them with fellowships to help further their research.
In 2011, four awards of £15,000 each (equivalent value
in Euros for candidates in Ireland)*, will be offered to
outstanding female post doctoral researchers in the UK and
Ireland**. Adjudicated by a panel of eminent scientists, the fellowships can be spent in any number of innovative ways to enable women scientists to further their careers and facilitate world class research.
Since 1998, over 700 women in over 70 countries have been recognised for their research and received funding to further their studies.
*To be calculated based on the exchange rate applicable on 1st July 2011.
**Please visit the website for full terms and conditions.
L’Oréal UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women in ScienceIN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO AND THE IRISH NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO.
DR DORA BIRO
UK & IRELAND FELLOW 2010DR LOURDES BASABE-DESMONTS
UK & IRELAND FELLOW 2010DR PIA MUKHERJEE
UK & IRELAND FELLOW 2010DR NATHALIE PETTORELLI
UK & IRELAND FELLOW 2010
APPLY NOWFOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO APPLY, PLEASE VISIT:
WWW.WOMENINSCIENCE.CO.UKThe deadline for applications is Wednesday 6th April 2011
