More than a million women now work in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)-based occupations in the UK, according to the Institute of Engineering and Technology. But, with that figure accounting for just 29% of the STEM workforce, there is still work to be done to inspire more girls to consider the wide range of careers available in engineering and manufacturing.

Leeds Manufacturing Festival’s Women in Manufacturing event, held in May at Crawshaw Academy in Pudsey, was designed to provide inspiration and insight into the industry, bringing 160 girls from across the school together with a panel of nine women working in a range of professional roles in West Yorkshire manufacturing businesses.

Taking part were medical equipment manufacturer Brandon Medical’s head of HR and its events co-ordinator, Ingrid Law and Jirawan Sawai; Louise O’Brien, managing director of packaging manufacturer Greyhound Box; Lois Holliday and Debbie Grayson from Leeds Welding Company and Tyra Jones, production planning supervisor at fluid pumps specialist Sulzer Pumps. Trust Electric Heating marketing manager Olivia Hullah; Noor Ali from JK Foods and procurement professional Rebecca Yourell also joined the line-up.

The panellists discussed the wide variety of careers on offer in manufacturing and engineering, from hands-on tech roles to HR and logistics. The women also talked about their own personal experiences of forging a career in manufacturing and spoke candidly about challenging work situations they had faced and how they had overcome them, as well as recounting stories of success. A one-to-one ‘speed dating’ session followed the panel discussion, enabling the girls to speak individually to panellists.

"The event worked really well as an all-female environment and the students engaged with all the speakers and were really interested in what we had to say about an industry that I think many of them had known little or nothing about beforehand,” said Louise O’Brien of Greyhound Box, which employs four senior women in its 18-strong team.                                                                                        

“It was positive to see that the girls felt that they had the same career opportunities open to them as boys, which certainly hasn’t always been the case. Coming together in this all-female environment was really successful in enabling us to talk to the girls about our industry, which previously I think a lot of them would automatically have felt was not for them            

“Through the speakers they learned about the diverse roles in manufacturing and the career progression that is available with the right skills and experience.”

Louise added: “The girls asked great questions and we could see they were really enthusiastic and engaged. I think it was an incredibly useful event, both from an employer’s and a female student’s perspective, really helping to break down barriers and to enabling the girls to see beyond gender stereotypes.”

Feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive, with all the girls saying it improved their understanding of manufacturing and 62% saying it had inspired them to consider pursuing a career in the industry.

“I enjoyed finding out about jobs I didn’t know existed and talking to new, nice, inspirational women,” said one student. “I loved the variety of jobs and experiences showcased by each individual. The panel really helped me to reflect and relate with personal life choices – I truly enjoyed it and it made me emotional,” added another.

"While raising greater awareness among girls about careers in manufacturing is essential, recent statistics from Engineering UK show a worrying increase in the number of women leaving manufacturing careers in their 30s and 40s. Employers must also work to ensure they create female-friendly, modern, work environments, said Louise O’Brien.

“When you have a business that is all about continuous improvement and increasing efficiency, that is modern and forward-looking, with a positive brand and values, that is the kind of organisation that will also be attractive to female employees.

“Everyone in a work environment needs to feel comfortable and valued and those values and standards are key to attracting and retaining the best people – both male and female.”