We should celebrate the fantastic talent in the UK engineering industry and, importantly, consider where there are opportunities to continue to increase diversity. Some progress has been made in the industry over the last decade – with Engineering UK figures showing the number of women in the profession has increased by six per cent since 2010.
However, more needs to be done and increasing the number of women in the profession should be a priority for employers. A good moment to take stock of addressing gender imbalance in the workforce is when they are looking to plug existing skills gaps. If not addressed, demand will exceed the supply of STEM skills in the future, according to a report by Royal Academy of Engineering.
Many employers have recognised the need for more gender diversity, offering inclusive entry level schemes and career open days to entice female talent by showing them the breadth of opportunities available in engineering. Another way to bring more women into the workforce is through technical education initiatives, such as T Levels.
A T Level is a two-year course taken after GCSEs that is broadly equivalent to 3 A levels and offers 80 per cent classroom learning and 20 per cent on-the-job training through a meaningful industry placement. Hosting students on their placements is a great way to identify future talent and give them an insight into the opportunities within the industry, which might entice them to progress into a full-time career.
How employers can benefit from T Levels
As businesses consider how to tackle the gender and skills deficits that are set to increase due to an aging workforce, investing in technical education is a good option to consider. By offering industry placements to T Level students, employers can access bright young talent, eager to enter the industry. There is also further scope to help employers retain this talent - it’s possible, for example, for employers to offer T Level students degree apprenticeships, meaning they can come back to the business and continue to train in a paid capacity.
Marika Botham, Course Leader – T Level Design & Development for Manufacture in Engineering, Runshaw College
Case study: T Levels in action - Mia’s story
Mia, 17, is studying a T Level in Design Engineering at Runshaw College in Lancashire. She has recently started her industry placement at Holden Engineering to work on manufacturing and welding projects. She represents one of many young women T Levels are helping attract to STEM subjects. She has enjoyed the start to her experience, and found it to be insightful.
Mia explained that during placement so far, she’s been able to observe an experienced engineer, and they have been teaching her based on the experience they have developed through the years.
It’s not only the chance to build relationships with those in the industry already, but a chance to learn valuable skills from a mixture of hands-on work and observation which Mia appreciates.
“I was able to even get some hands-on experience of tig welding pipes and look at technical drawings. I'm very excited to go back as I will get to follow the whole process of a project throughout my placement.”
The lack of women in the industry did feel daunting to her when she decided to follow the career path, but studying for her T Level in a nurturing environment has helped. Mia says: “Being female in a potentially male-dominated space is a bit scary – especially coming from an all-girls school. However, the college and its facilities are helping to bring more women to STEM.”
T Levels have been key to helping Mia discover her passion for engineering and how it complements her dream role. “I’ve had an interest in rollercoasters since I was young, and in Year 6, this passion inspired me to decide to follow a career path as an engineer. My college has helped me realise that my love for engineering and rollercoasters could be paired together - the T Level will help me on my course to become a rollercoaster designer.”
Upon completing her T Level Mia has already decided her next steps.
“After my T Level I want to do a Degree Apprenticeship in aerodynamics and animatronics so that I can become a rollercoaster designer.”
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