Careers in engineering for mature women

Engineering is currently experiencing a significant skill gap as the baby boomer generation retires, creating a demand for more engineers in the transition towards a sustainable world. The UK alone requires an estimated additional 50,000 engineers annually, which cannot be fulfilled through traditional recruitment methods that primarily target male graduates (comprising 80% of recruits). Women represent an untapped potential resource for engineering recruitment. While efforts have been made to attract girls to STEM subjects, there has been less focus on encouraging career changers, particularly women, to enter the engineering field. However, this group possesses transferable skills essential for addressing future engineering challenges. Clear trends indicate that engineers of the future will have a much higher degree of sustainability skills or literacy, are more numerate and have better social skills and a greater understanding of the application context of the products they generate. The challenge is twofold: - understanding what the skills needs to engineering as an industry will be over the next 20 or 20 years - understanding how experienced women can be recruited and upskilled to take up vital roles in engineering teams. This OSC begins by collated the literature on skills gaps in engineering and women in engineering education and profession and write a position for a gender or engineering design journal. This will also be a spring board for opportunistic bidding, e.g. to the royal academy of engineering’s next widening participation call. Woman are notably absent in the workforce of western countries, even though their engineering education is organised differently in different countries. This challenge involve understanding the specific challenges UK women face, but also to engage in the international debates on women in engineering from the unique experience of the OU as an educator of mature students.