International Women in Engineering Day 2024: Supporting Women in the Industry.

At Connexin we pride ourselves on a diverse workplace, and we are celebrating International Women in Engineering Day this year by empowering the diligent women in our workplace and within the industry.

From voices not being heard to being overlooked in favour of male colleagues, being a woman in a male-dominated industry has its challenges both internally and externally. One example came from Lisa Greaves, VP of Customer Operations, who shared an experience from one of our female engineers.

“While on the job, she noticed a difference in how she was being spoken to compared to her male colleague of the same level. She felt she wasn’t taken as seriously because she is a woman.”

Attitudes like these are woven throughout society and the education system, leading to young women feeling like a career in engineering simply isn’t an option for them.

Connexin aims to break down these stereotypes and prejudices against women in engineering, creating an inclusive workplace for all. Within Connexin, our senior leadership team (SLT) is 40% female and we have hired and trained several female engineers. Just recently, Connexin was recognised as a ‘Great Place to Work', an award of which included our staff taking part in anonymous survey. 92% of female responders within this survey agreed that “people here are treated fairly regardless of their gender”, demonstrating our commitment to gender equality.

Elise, Project Coordinator, said: “I am really luck to have a great team that supports women in engineering everyday. I have learnt a lot from my other female colleagues. Some challenges that women face in the industry could be sexism or lack of support in the role. I have always been really lucky to be able to progress.

Connexin support women in engineering in so many ways, I have been offered courses that support my growth in the engineering industry and we are always showcasing our amazing female staff! We have an academy that has a variety of courses encouraged for all to support personal growth.”

In support of this, Tracy Hemming-Tayler, VP of People & Culture, stated how Connexin is committed to creating an inclusive workplace for women:

“We promote flexibility as much as possible as we understand caring responsibilities at home often fall to our female colleagues. We also have a number of policies to support women and their families as an extension, including enhanced parental leave, increased annual leave, and an in-office wellbeing room. At Connexin we really walk the walk when it comes to gender equality.”

Connexin Academy provides a variety of educational and training opportunities for women looking to take up a career in engineering. Lisa Greaves attested to this, stating how in our engineering department, multiple female FTTP installers came through the Advanced Fibre Boot Camp training:

“I have seen them progress in their journeys in becoming engineers from trainee to acting engineers. Connexin have supported their journey in ensuring they are trained and treated no differently from their male counterparts”, she added.

Heidi Greaves, Managing Director of Connexin Academy further highlighted the fantastic environment present throughout Connexin and the Academy, stating:

“I am proud to lead on the training academy that champions women and helps unlock their full potential! On International Women in Engineering Day, let’s celebrate the transformative power of inclusive education in driving global success and equality. I am delighted to be part of a team that have trained some great women for our engineering department.”

She also added: “Two that stand out are Sam and Amy who joined Connexin through the Academy at the same time. They have been a credit in demonstrating that women can succeed in a male-dominated sector!”

When it comes to promoting opportunities for women in engineering at Connexin, we back up our words with actions. Last year, Lauren Beercock, People & Acquisition Partner, attended the Women into Manufacturing and Engineering careers fair at Guild Hall with one of our female engineers, encouraging students to challenge stereotypes around a career in engineering. Initially, 60% of pupils in attendance expressed interest in STEM careers, but after engaging with the event, this surged to nearly 90%. This remarkable transformation further exemplifies our commitment to supporting women looking to start a career journey in this industry. We’re excited to attend this event again later this year and look forward to inspiring a new generation of female engineers.

Connexin continue to drive and inspire change within the industry and aim to create an inclusive workplace full of equal opportunities.

For those aspiring to kickstart their engineering career, discover the various bootcamps available at connexin.co.uk/training-academy.