Renishaw, a global engineering technology group, celebrated International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) on June 23rd with a comprehensive programme of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) engagement activities. Embracing this year’s theme, “Together We Engineer,” Renishaw showcased how women in engineering are collectively shaping the future and transforming lives every day.
At its Miskin manufacturing site in South Wales, Renishaw hosted multiple STEM events throughout the week, engaging with 120 students from the local area. The week commenced with a Product Design Engineering Taster Day for female students from Llantwit Major School at Renishaw’s dedicated STEM Centre.
The day began with an inspiring address from Jasmin Gale, an apprentice at Renishaw, who shared her personal journey into engineering. This was followed by a hands-on workshop, inspired by Renishaw’s own Product Innovation Process, where students collaborated on engaging design tasks and developed crucial soft skills like communication and problem solving. The day concluded with an in-depth tour of the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, offering students a valuable real-world perspective of engineering in practice.
A teacher from Llantwit Major School praised the initiative, stating that the day provided “an excellent insight into the opportunities at Renishaw and where they might fit into the company.” A student from the same school enthusiastically added, “Today was a wonderful experience and it really opened up my mind to engineering and the different aspects of it.”
Throughout the week, the Miskin STEM outreach team also visited Llanharan Primary School and Glyn-Gaer Primary School. They delivered tailored sessions designed to introduce younger students to Renishaw, highlight significant women throughout engineering history and spotlight Renishaw engineers who are making a real impact today.
To conclude the week’s extensive activities, the STEM outreach team hosted a virtual assembly with Penyrenglyn Primary School. During this interactive session, students participated in a quiz on Women in Engineering and viewed ‘day in the life’ videos featuring Renishaw engineers Gaby Harper and Rhys O’Shea. These videos offered an authentic glimpse into diverse engineering careers. Gaby also joined the live webinar directly to answer students’ questions, providing thoughtful insights into her own experiences and passionately encouraging future engagement with STEM subjects.
Laura Penney, STEM Outreach Officer at Renishaw, commented, “Only 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce are women. Renishaw seeks to increase this number by proactively engaging with our women engineers of the future”.
She continued, “Our week of events helped demystify what it’s like to be a woman working in engineering – from finding out what a typical day in their life might look like to the opportunity to ask them questions. We are lucky to have strong female role models at Renishaw that want to inspire the next generation to take on any role they want.”
Renishaw’s celebration of INWED 2025 underscores its commitment to fostering diversity, inspiring the next generation of engineers and ensuring that collaborative innovation continues to drive progress across the industry.
Renishaw offers secondary schools in South Wales free STEM outreach sessions and work experience placements. Click here to join our STEM outreach and early careers mailing list.
For further information visit Renishaw’s Early Careers web page.
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