Celebrating Our Women in Engineering

Women make up 16.5% of all engineers – and this statistic is only growing (Engineering UK, 2022).

60% of our workforce across the globe are women. We recognise that they may need extra support in an industry that isn’t always geared towards them – and that’s why diversity and inclusion at Teconnex is our priority. Our goal is to encourage more young women to take up roles in engineering, and to make sure the women on our team always have the support they need to succeed. 

So, for Women in Engineering Day on the 23rd June, we wanted to celebrate our own.

We spoke to four of our inspiring engineers to find out what they love about engineering, and any challenges they might face being a woman in the industry.

Here’s what they said when asked what challenges they’ve faced in their job roles due to their gender: 

“When I was doing my apprenticeship, it was very unusual for a female to be training as an engineer, so it could be very challenging. Many people said I would never make it, but this just made me try harder – to prove them wrong!” – Debbie Broadbent, Tooling & Automation Manager

“I personally haven’t been faced with any challenges from being a woman – but it may be daunting for some females by going into a male-dominated career. All the men and women I have worked alongside have been incredible and extremely supportive – it is a stigma that is still around, and needs to be broken.” – Alisha Bell, OCS & Document Engineer

“The biggest challenges in my career have been in the first few years of college. As the only female in the class, often any inappropriate behaviour was directed towards me. And, at the time, the college didn’t deal with this the best they could. Nevertheless, I persevered, thanks to great tutors, and the rest of the class who treated me like one of their own. Once I left my apprenticeship, the real learning curve kicked in. You have to know how to stand on your own two feet, and deal with being a young woman in a man’s world, often having to really prove yourself, your skills, and your knowledge along the way.” – Amelia Knight, Continuous Improvement Coordinator

“Over the years, I worked in several engineering companies, and faced much abuse from males. This was very much a male-oriented career in the 1980s, especially when there were a lot of redundancies, and I was kept on. I was one of the first female welders in Scunthorpe… I worked in a very intense, hot, dirty environment, with strict time limits, but it was very rewarding. I soon progressed to a supervisor role, and led a team of welders, even introducing another female to the group, who was interested in what I did and wanted to have a go.” – Debbie Massey, Value Stream Department Coordinator

Even though it’s been a difficult time for some, all the women on our team have had the same love for engineering that drove them through. 

There’s clearly work to be done in the engineering and manufacturing industries as a whole. But, at Teconnex, we’re proud to smash stereotypes, and cultivate a work environment where everyone can feel empowered.

That’s why we’re celebrating the women on the Teconnex team – on Women in Engineering Day, and every single day. 
Want to join our amazing team? Head to our website to find out more.