Nominations are open for the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards, hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The awards champion females in the workplace and look to highlight the achievements of some of very best engineering minds. The ceremony is also hoped to attract new female talent to the industry which is currently under-represented by women.

Research carried out by IET last year, during its Skills and Demand in Industry Survey found that just 9% of all engineers in the UK are women. The figure was described as woeful by Naomi Climer, President of IET. This, in turn, has prompted anxieties as to the limit of how far engineering can progress should the full potential of the world’s human resources remain untapped. Amongst creativity and methodical diligence, studies suggest that a more even distribution of males and females in the STEM sector could bring about more gendered innovation – invaluable in the pharmaceuticals industry.

2016 will be the eighth time the IET has presented the awards. Previous winners include Arlene McConnell, a Systems Engineer at Selex Galileo and Orla Murphy, an Audio Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover.

Commenting on the awards as well as her career in engineering, current recipient of the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award, Orla Murphy was enthusiastic. Not only has she gained a job that I absolutely love but has also had the opportunity to be an ambassador for women in engineering.

Voting for the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards closes on June 30^th. Entries are invited for three separate categories which each aim showcase the present achievements of women, as well as inspiring female innovation in the future. With the UK engineering industry facing a major skills shortage and stern competition from markets overseas, an upsurge in interest – male or female – is surely a positive from which all sectors and businesses can find hope.

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