To help encourage more women into engineering, Atkins led a unique survey in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, Rolls-Royce and BP to ask 300 professional female UK engineers what inspired them to choose a career in engineering and how they feel about their choice. The result is the ‘Britain’s got talented female engineers’ report which provides fascinating insights, statistics and views which we hope will prove to be a hugely popular tool in inspiring a new generation of female engineers. Summary: Early years * The research confirmed there was no single age when women engineers developed their interest; very few had been following a single path from an early age * Many respondents didn’t study physics at school * Most women engineers (91%) had at least one inspirational teacher. * Knowing one or more engineers was frequently important. Almost four in ten women engineers had a family connection, most frequently their father, and 11% had a friend who was an engineer A Perfect Choice * Over 80 of female engineers are happy in their job * 98% of women engineers find their job rewarding. Most frequently (80%) this reward came in the shape of the successful projects their work had helped deliver Myths and Misunderstandings * Three-quarters believed engineering is still regarded as being ‘a male career’ * Just over two-thirds thought engineering was believed by too many to involve fixing engines * 43% said they believed engineers were thought to require physical strength  Need for Awareness * Seven in eight believed greater awareness was needed of what engineers do * 77% believed greater awareness of the wide range of careers employing engineering graduates is needed * Almost two-thirds of women engineers believed that careers advice about engineering is weak * Over half of the sample (55%) said they believed potential students are being put off by an idea that engineering is ‘too difficult’. Fixing the future * Seven-in-ten women engineers said that the advice currently being given about engineering as a career needs improving * Almost two-thirds (64%) believe there should be greater efforts by recruiters of engineers to provide more work placements for girls to work alongside women engineers * A majority of 56% wanted to see more provision of women speakers in schools If you want to know more about working at Atkins please contact http://www.atkinsglobal.com/careers

1. Welcome
Dr. Martin Grant FREng
Chief Executive Officer
Energy

2. A startling perspective
2
Engineering
graduates in
fulltime work
83%
85
82
79
78
76
75
72
72
70
68
67
66
62
62
Graduates in fulltime work / course
(ONS 2012)
Engineering
graduate
earnings
£769
85
£172
£673
£646
£635
£615
£577
£577
£538
£481
£462
£462
£423
£418
Graduate earnings / course
(ONS 2012)
Proportion of female
engineering
graduates
16%
80
76
68
65
62
62
60
58
57
53
49
40
33
29
Proportion of female graduates / course
(HESA 2013)

3. How do we inspire more women?
3
Lots of useful studies have been done:
How do we stop this
‘leaky pipeline’?
Why don’t girls choose
STEM subjects at school?
Why are women not
becoming engineers?
Why are women leaving
the profession?
BUT…
Britain’s got lots of talented
and successful female engineers
So we asked 300 of them...
What inspired you
at school?
Why did you become
an engineer?
How happy are you with
your career choice?
What do you think the industry
should do to encourage more
women into engineering?
The results and stories
to emerge are inspirational

4. Influences during early years
4
Almost 40% had
a family connection,
most frequently
their father, who
was an engineer.

5. Influences during early years
5
Maths29%
Physics24%
Chemistry8%
Geography7%
Science6%
Design/Technology5%
English3%
French/German/Spanish2%
History2%
Art music2%
Biology1
Computing/IT1
Classics/RE1
of women had an
inspirational teacher
75%
91%
…and
loved
problem solving

6. So many choices
6
17% 15%
18%
62%
56%
50%
49%
45%
35%
27%
Availability of grant funding/sponsorship
The good work life balance
The school careers adviser suggested it
The variety of career
options/routes
Engineering is a good
route to lots of other
interesting careers
You were offered a place
at a university with a
strong reputation
The good employment opportunities
You wanted to do something
different from the typical
roles proposed for women
Good salary prospects
A teacher or tutor suggested it to you

7. A perfect choice
7
And now, how happy are they with their career choice?
Either happy or extremely
happy with their choice 84%
Said they had supportive working
environment and co-workers 79%
said it is a rewarding
career for women98%

8. A perfect choice
8
80%
Successful
delivery of
a project or
projects in
which you
played a
part
72%
A new
challenge
54%
A chance
to make a
difference
50%
My
company’s
investment
in my career
42%
Getting
chartered
39%
An
opportunity
to travel
28%
A training
course or
coach
26%
A mentor
pushing me
to take a
leap of faith
21%
A team
change

9. So why aren’t more choosing it?
9
…believed greater
awareness was
needed of what
engineers do
7 in 8
Almost two-thirds
of women engineers
believed that careers
advice about
engineering was weak
2/3
…believed greater
awareness of the
wide range of
careers employing
engineering graduates
77%
…said they believed
potential students
were being put off
by an idea that
engineering was
‘too difficult’
55%

10. So why aren’t more choosing it?
10
believe engineering is still
regarded as a¾
70%
No difference
13%
Hinderance
Myth 1 But it’s just for boys
17%
Help
‘male career’

11. So why aren’t more choosing it?
11
Myth 2
think engineering is believed by
too many to involve⅔
Engineers fix engines
A design for
steel bridges
on ITER –
the world's
largest nuclear
fusion research
project
“
”
I helped
create the
Highway
Agencies
structural
data base
“
”
I led the
concept
design for
a new city
“
”
I've worked
on the
Olympics
for 6 years
“
”
Planning
a radio
network
in Kenya
“
”
“
”
Designing
a water
recycling
system
fixing engines

12. Fixing the future
12
56%
UK-based organisation
dedicated to sending
women speakers into
schools
Work experience
placements
alongside women
engineers
64%
Primetime TV
engineering problem-
solving challenge along
the lines of Young
Apprentice (but not
Robot Wars)
38%
70%
Better careers information
for women engineers
for schools
44%
Applying the term
‘engineering’ where
appropriate in the early
years national curriculum
(rather than covering
with science and
technology)
More visible
female role
models
15%
Campaign raising
awareness of engineers
solving problems for
developing world and
disadvantaged
people
42%
Quite a number said...
“all of the
above!”

13. 13
Thank you
Spread the word via
#womeninengineering