Ford engineers host 84 female students, from local Essex schools, at the Dunton Technical Centre in celebration of International Women in engineering day.
Ford is working to reduce the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math careers by inviting female students to gain an insight into the activities that go into engineering some of the best-selling vehicles on the roads globally, including the Ford Transit that is designed and engineered at the Dunton Technical Centre in Essex.
Lara Nicoll, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at Ford of Britain, said “Ford is continuously working to improve diversity in the workspace, and attracting applications from women for roles in the engineering industry remains a challenge. Events like today’s at Ford are invaluable to be able to motivate and inspire girls, whilst still of school age, so they can strongly consider a career in engineering. We have many of Ford’s female engineers at today’s event, and what better way to inspire the girls than have them hear directly from those women.”
The schools attending are The Billericay School, Seven Kings School, Southend High School for Girls, Frances Bardsley Academy Ford Girls, Coopers Company and Coborn School, Mayflower High School, and The Sweyne Park School.
The event will open with a key note speech from Steve Gill, Director of Powertrain, Ford Motor Company, and an opportunity to participate in a Q&A panel discussion with female engineers, who are at the start of their careers, and Laura Thurgood, winner of the inaugural Ford STEM prize.
Josephine Payne, Area Manager for the Dagenham Engine plant, will also speak to the students at the event about her own experiences as a female engineer, offering words of wisdom and encouragement to inspire the girls to consider a career in STEM.
“Ford recognises the challenges of attracting young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, and we run a wide range of activities and initiatives to promote interest in STEM studies.” Said Josephine Payne.
“Today, as part of our participation in International Women in Engineering Day, we’ve invited young female students to tour our facilities and give them a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at what goes in to engineering some of the most popular vehicles on the road, with the aim of raising awareness of the potential career opportunities available to them in the automotive industry.”
The students will participate in a range of engineering activities to give them an overview of the diversity and range of potential careers opportunities that exist in the automotive industry for those studying STEM subjects. The event includes demonstrations of rapid manufacturing, clay modeling, lean manufacturing, IT programming and a VR experience. The day will conclude with a tour of the Dunton Technical Centre facilities and a closing speech from Graham Hoare, Director of Global Engineering Operations.
The annual UK event is going international for the first time this year. More than 550 separate events were held last year and more than 350 schools across the UK took part in celebrations.
Ford has committed to provide career development for existing women employees, encourage school-aged girls to pursue degrees and STEM education, combat conscious and unconscious bias in workplace culture and hiring practices, and take part in programs that aim to mentor women, of all ages, to obtain skills and competencies to be successful in STEM occupations.
International Women in Engineering Day is just one of the initiatives Ford supports in the effort to reduce the gender gap. The company is proud to sponsor the Ford Prize for Women in STEM Study 2017, the Ford Professional Women’s Network, the Diversity Alliance Committee and other hiring, HR and workplace development programs to foster the careers of existing and potential Ford women employees.
The success of initiatives, such as today’s event, is evident in Ford’s latest recruitment figures. For example, the percentage of female graduates hired in the UK has increased from 19% in 2014 to 24% in 2016.
