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eg technology Recognises International Day Of The Girl

Today marks International Day of the Girl. A day to recognise the rights and unique challenges that girls face around the world.

It is a surprisingly difficult subject to write about, as gender equality varies so widely around the world. In this country, we have come a long way since 1918, when women were given the right to vote, but the landscape is ever changing and we still have a long way to go. So, I would like to focus on one topic which personally resonates with me and many of the other women in our team; opportunity. We are lucky to live in a time where there are many opportunities available for girls and in turn, women, but gaining access to these opportunities can often be an issue.

We live in a digital world, built on a technological landscape, so our skillsets have had to evolve for us to keep up. The future of employment is dependent on younger generations obtaining skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), as they become more and more integral to performing any role. However, STEM subjects continue to be dominated by male students, with females making up only 29% of those who received qualifications in core STEM subject areas in the past year. This number is thankfully on an upward trajectory, as STEM subjects are being made more accessible and attractive to young girls, as they decide upon their futures. However, this change cannot just happen at grass roots and more work needs to be done to ensure there is a gender balance within STEM roles in the workplace.

At eg technology, we are pleased to celebrate our gender diversity and have both male and female engineers, project managers, directors and commercial staff on our team. We remain accessible by welcoming interns each year, to provide young people with industry insight, support, mentoring, direction and feedback in order to advance their skills and broaden their knowledge; standing them in good stead to secure future employment after the completion of their university course. We are also always on the lookout for recent graduates who can join our team and share their newly acquired knowledge and skills with us. We keep our door open to those looking to develop their careers, and are always encouraged to see applications from female graduates who have chosen to embrace the STEM pathway and follow the engineering career path.

Bec Wilkins joined egt as a Human Factors engineer in 2015 and hasn’t looked back, but what enticed her to a career in engineering?

As a child I loved to draw and create models and decided that I wanted to be a designer. I studied industrial design at university, with the option to pursue a career in either industrial or graphic design. Although I was initially concerned that the course may have been overly technical, I thoroughly enjoyed it- and was inspired to pursue a career in engineering. My first job out of university was as a model maker and Industrial Designer for a large consumer company looking at the pure design of consumer products. From there I worked for a medical start-up company that was developing an artificial heart. This company needed someone with a broad range of skills, and because of my Design degree and experience, I had the perfect range of skills including Industrial Design, graphics, model making and technical skills and this role really established me in the world of engineering.

At eg technology I am a design engineer with a focus on human factors and usability. My main focus is to think about the end customer needs, how they are going to use the device and their user experience with the device, while also weighing up the technical and commercial constraints in parallel. Changes in technology and the opportunity to keep expanding my knowledge and constantly develop my skills is a welcome challenge. As we recognise International Day of the Girl, I urge any young girls to consider a future in engineering, as the rewards are far more than financial. Designing and developing medical devices, that ultimately improve the lives of people gives me a real sense of purpose, as my work can sometimes be the catalyst for real change”.

Bec WilkinsHuman Factors engineer | eg technology

To show your support for gender balance in science, technology & engineering, please follow this link.

eg technology are regularly on the lookout for talented new engineers and commercial staff as our team grows, please have a look at our careers page to have a look at our current vacancies, or get in touch:

Via email on design@egtechnology.co.uk, by giving us a call on +44 01223 813184, or by clicking here.