26 October 2020
An Assystem-commissioned YouGov poll has revealed that 62% of the UK public believe that having more women in engineering would have a positive impact on innovation.
The data is welcomed by Assystem, who remain focused on recruiting more women to become part of the high performing engineering teams at the heart of today’s most challenging nuclear infrastructure projects.
Assystem is driven by the belief that gender balance is crucial to the generation of ideas and problem solving involved in technical projects.
Assystem’s QHSE Manager, Vicki Walsh said: “Having more women in the industry provides a balance of perspectives that is vital to solving detailed and complex engineering challenges. Less than 10% of technical roles in the industry are filled by women who represent 50% of the population. It is widely recognised that the viewpoints of women have been missing from engineering for too long. Imagine what we can achieve if we create a balance!”
Women today represent just 22% of the UK’s nuclear sector workforce, a figure the industry is aiming to increase to 40% by 2030, a top 3 target of the Nuclear Sector Deal and delivered through companies’ commitments to the Nuclear Sector Commitment pledge.
For the first time in more than 20 years nuclear power is being built again in the UK at Hinkley Point C and, if approved, the new nuclear projects of Sizewell C and the UK SMR programme. These projects will stimulate thousands of jobs with a high demand for technical skills across engineering and STEM disciplines.
Assystem Business Manager, Gary Reed, said: “Looking across the nuclear industry there is a very long way to go before we achieve a gender balance. Less than 20% of engineering undergraduates are women, so it is vital that we focus our attention on attracting and supporting women into engineering careers.
“Engineering is a creative industry that thrives on ideas and experience brought from people from different backgrounds. If we want the nuclear industry to lead innovation, then we need to build a workforce to reflect the future of engineering, not the past.”
Assystem is committed to gender diversity through its #INCREDIBLEWOMEN programme, which focuses on taking positive action to recruit more women to the new opportunities within the UK nuclear industry.
#INCREDIBLEWOMEN is based on three main pillars: recruiting, retaining and evolving.
As part of the ‘recruiting’ pillar Assystem is focused on increasing the number of women joining the business through targeted campaigns and STEM outreach in schools and universities.
- The ‘retaining’ pillar is a platform for continued professional development, through a programme of activity including conferences, debates and coaching workshops.
- The ‘evolving’ pillar focuses on the progression of women to senior roles in the business, supporting rising stars through mentoring, while raising managers’ awareness about gender stereotypes. The programme of work is delivered through a dedicated steering group, comprised of men and women in the business.
Assystem is recruiting. To find out more, visit jobs.assystem.com/en/
To apply for the 2021 graduate scheme, send a CV and covering letter to graduates@assystem.com.