Emerging Trend: Increasing Number of Young Women Excelling in Engineering Careers

The stereotype of manufacturing as a male preserve is rapidly breaking down as more and more young women aspire to have a career in the industry, according to a report by trade body Make UK.

Make UK’s report reveals that perceptions of manufacturing being low-paid and male-dominated have significantly shifted in recent years.

The report also states that nearly half of parents now view manufacturing as a well-paid career, with over a third expressing their support for their daughters pursuing a career in industry. This is a notable increase from just 14 per cent five years ago.

Several companies mentioned a significant rise in the number of female apprentices joining their organizations. Warren Page from Xtrac, a Berkshire-based firm specializing in manufacturing high-end gearboxes for race cars, reported a surge in female apprenticeship applicants following the end of the Covid pandemic.

Challenging stereotypes: A number of firms said they had seen a big increase in girls joining as apprentices

‘This year, 40 per cent of our apprenticeship starts are female,’ said Warren Page.

C Brandauer & Co, an engineering group in Worcester, also noted a significant change in the gender ratio of their apprentices, from having no female apprentices to now having two female apprentices for every five male apprentices.

Rowan Crozier, Chief Executive of C Brandauer & Co, commented, ‘Young women are increasingly seeing engineering as an inspiring career option’.

Tony Hague, CEO of West Midlands-based engineering firm PP Control & Automation, stated, ‘For a long time, the industry has been working hard to dispel the misconceptions that it is a male-dominated, dirty, and unsafe sector’. He added that now half of his company’s workforce is female.