We’re pleased to announce the launch of our 2023 salary survey, ‘2023 Salary Report – Clinical Research and Medical Affairs’.
We appreciate that it can be very difficult to find unbiased and remit specific information on salaries and benefits. We are pleased to be able to provide our comprehensive salary report to our customers.
It’s jam-packed with valuable information on the latest salary trends across:
Medical Information/ Med Affairs
Clinical Operations
Clinical Development
Biometrics
Regulatory Affairs
Quality Assurance
Drug Safety
Whether you’re looking to negotiate your next pay raise or effectively plan your hiring budget, this survey is a must-have resource.
To download our 2023 Salary Survey, please follow the link below:
LinkedIn recently released its Global Talent Trends Report for 2022, taking a close look at the evolution of company culture and its future prospects.
The report revealed that 41% of the global workforce have said that they are likely to consider leaving their jobs within the next 12 months – if they haven’t already. In August of 2021 alone, 4.3 million workers across the world quit their jobs, causing labour shortages in all regions from China, to the United States, to Germany.
Alongside this, it also found that job seekers have become pickier than ever, and are viewing nearly twice as many ads before applying than they were in 2019.
As a result, companies are having to work smarter than ever before on their branding to win over top talent. The focus is no longer on tools and tech, it’s about mindset, desires and expectations. Candidates are looking for personalised messaging about flexibility, inclusive benefits and internal mobility rates – with posts seeing a 67% engagement boost when company culture is mentioned.
The report also says that companies need to give agency to their employees to carve out their own work life that best complements their personal situations. Investing in the onboarding process is a great way to do this, by personalising for new hires and offering a support structure for success.
Failure to do these things could drive down employee satisfaction levels, and drive them towards looking for other employment in the ‘Great Reshuffle’.
This week is British Science Week, which celebrates all things science, technology, engineering and maths. It aims to acknowledge the incredible achievements being made across the world, and bring awareness to current issues within the field.
This year’s theme is growth, so we’re honouring the women who have made incredible contributions within STEM, and looking at how far we have come over the last 100 years.
Looking back
The First and Second World Wars were instrumental in catapulting women into STEM. As the men went off to fight in the trenches, women were given the opportunity to take on engineering and manufacturing roles that had not previously been available to them.
Outside of this, women made important discoveries in a number of scientific fields throughout the early 20th century. Ida Slater, a British scientist, was instrumental in the study of fossils – and whose work is still today regarded as the best in the world in terms of diversity. Also, around this time, Katherine Esau used her botany expertise to investigate the effects of viruses on plants – specifically on plant tissue and development. Her work has been used as key structural biology texts for decades.
Female botanist Katherine Esau
However, many women seeking careers in STEM faced a number of challenges – including discrimination on university courses, and humiliation from their male counterparts. Those working within science were often excluded from main laboratories (allowed to work only in basements), and would have their research findings ignored, ridiculed or stolen.
There was reluctance to allow equal rights, despite their tremendous efforts and significant contributions. As a result, organisations such as the Women’s Engineering Society and the Association for Women in Science were founded. These were established in order to promote STEM as a rewarding career path, and resist pressure to give up roles in favour of men.
The rise of technology during the 20th century arguably helped to provide more STEM related opportunities for women, as new professions exploded onto the scene. Electrical engineering, for example, became huge and was led by a number of women – including Dame Caroline Haslett (founder and editor of The Woman Engineer journal) and Verena Holmes (who established her own engineering firm that employed only females).
Women in STEM today
Today, women face many fewer barriers to entry in science, technology, engineering and maths careers. Gender equality has progressed in the context of education, as university courses are much more accessible and encouraged. Women are free to apply to whichever jobs they choose to, as expectations to stay at home and raise families have diminished (although not entirely).
However, male candidates are often still hired preferentially, as this has historically always been the case. The lack of representation of women across the media sadly appears to deter many from entering the profession, as youngsters cannot see themselves within the industry. Girls are very much still encouraged to take up roles that roles that centre around caring for others, or roles that work below men.
Statistics suggest that women account for only around 25% of the UK STEM workforce, and there is a significant gender pay gap. The Royal Society of Chemistry’s recent survey, for example, found that men earn an average of £11,000 more per year than their female counterparts across the chemical sciences. This shows that despite the lower barriers to entry, appreciation for women is still yet to increase – and a pressing issue that companies and governments need to address.
What the future holds
We have made a number of steps in the right direction over the last 100 years, but to achieve true equality we must completely change our culture. This includes senior leaders of organisations not just saying the right things, but also doing them. Educational institutions need to give more support to young girls to highlight STEM careers as appealing and accessible, and representation across the media should increase alongside this.
Increasing diversity within the workforce will have multiple benefits not just to women, but the industry as a whole. Technology is developing at an increasingly fast pace, and now more than ever, solutions are needed to save our planet from global warming. Therefore, it needs the brightest talent to take the reins and propel us forwards into a world where gender equality is the norm, and where womens’ achievements are not brushed under the carpet.
We are proud to have recently sponsored the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Pay and Reward Report for 2021. which surveyed almost 4300 chemists across the UK.
The report aims to build a picture of the employment landscape – including salaries, job security, skills and employee needs – and is a highly valuable resource for those working within the profession. Not only does it provide benchmarking data for individuals, employers and recruiters, it also provides vital information for driving positive change within the chemical sciences and beyond.
What does the report reveal?
Median salary has increased across the industry
Those in the chemical sciences landscape are earning a median salary of £46,500 – which is 3.5% higher than the median salary of 2019’s report, and in line with the UK rate of inflation.
The highest paying sectors include industrial/commercial, the public sector and consulting practices; with general management, sales and marketing, and quality assurance/control roles earning the most.
Motivations for working in chemical sciences
The top motivator for those working in the chemical sciences is being passionate about what they do, followed by being able to do work that has a positive impact on society.
Healthy work-life balance is also a key motivator, with the survey seeing a significant jump in the number of respondents indicating that flexible working is offered by their employer. This may be as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic increasing the need for remote working.
Employee retention and development
The majority of survey respondents indicated that they expected to stay with their current employer over the next 12 months. The top reasons for choosing to progress with a current employer include taking on more responsibility, career advancement and personal development – although the vast majority say that they experience one or more barriers to obtaining the skills they need to develop their career. Lack of time appears to be the biggest challenge, suggesting that companies could do more to prioritise training and learning opportunities for their staff.
On the other hand, those looking to move employers in the next 12 months indicated change of location, more job security and better management as their top reasons.
The report highlights the work that is still to be done in the chemical sciences landscape in order to achieve equality and create a fairer working culture.
Royal Society of Chemistry members can download the report for free here.
We recently carried out a survey across a range of organisations in the life sciences arena within the UK, which explored their plans for returning to work once lockdown restrictions allowed. We’ve captured some of the effects that the pandemic has had on working arrangements in relation to office presence.
Each of the companies that took part in the survey were UK based with a varied geographical remit and size. The majority were pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, with some medical device, CRO, and healthcare organisations.
What did our survey reveal?
Of the companies surveyed, it was surprising yet pleasing to see that 100% are planning to retain an element of flexible working after restrictions change on the 19th July.
What was even more surprising was the extent to which flexible working appears to be on offer, with 45% of companies stating that they will not be implementing a minimum number of days per week or month to be onsite. However, the overall trend seems to be two to three days in the office per week, or as and when required by the business.
Our survey offered some interesting insights into how the pharmaceutical and life science industries have adapted to working through the pandemic. Certainly from a recruitment perspective, we have seen many companies offering higher levels of flexibility and downsizing office space to account for the uptake of home working. We have also seen a boost to candidate and skill attraction, as well as a surge in job seekers being able to consider companies previously unsuitable due to location.
On the other hand, many have struggled with the large-scale introduction of home working. Some candidates have been forced to turn down roles due to living in shared accommodation and, for example, being unable to work on medical information enquiry lines because of this. This has been disappointing for the individuals, hiring companies and ourselves, all for reasons completely out of anybody’s control. As the old adage goes: one size does not fit all.
Could this be the start of a truly virtual working world? Do people really have the space or knowledge of technology to work from home? Is it fit for all purposes?
Time will tell what long-term changes are going to influence our working habits and effectiveness.
International Women in Engineering Day, which occurs annually on the 23rd June, is a day that celebrates the incredible work that female engineers do around the globe, and recognises them as the heroes they are in innovation.
Some of the best, brightest and bravest engineers are women, yet we hear them talked about so infrequently that their contributions to STEM are often overlooked simply because many are unaware of them.
Our ‘Women in Engineering’ series aims to change that by introducing you to some incredible women who have gone before us. One of those is Judith Love Cohen.
Find out more about her work below, and why she should be recognised for her amazing work.
Judith Love Cohen
Judith Love Cohen had a fascinating life. She began her career in aerospace engineering by gaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees, before going on to work at Space Technology Laboratories (eventually becoming TRW) – all at a time when only one percent of all engineers were female.
Throughout her career she worked on various engineering projects, contributing huge amounts to the aerospace industry. When the Apollo 13 spacecraft suffered a disastrous systems failure during its mission in 1970, Judith helped save the lives of the astronauts onboard thanks to her work on the Abort Guidance System. It was this system that brought everybody home safely, by guiding the spacecraft’s return back to earth and providing two mid-course corrections. Without this, their story could have been very different.
She also ran the systems engineering for the science ground facility of the Hubble Space Telescope, and helped to put the first man on the moon. According to her son, she even went into work on the day she gave birth to actor and musician Jack Black, taking a printout of the problem she was working on to the hospital with her.
As well as being an incredible engineer, Judith was an advocate for the better treatment of women in the workplace, working tirelessly to create an equal and fair working environment. Many things that we today consider routine, such as formal job descriptions and the advertising of opportunities internally, are Judith’s creations. She had a profound impact on equality for women.
After retiring in 1990, Judith began a publishing company with her husband and published two series of books. Her ‘You can be a woman…’ series was created to encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM, and included books on engineering, astronomy, biology and paleontology.
We really do have a lot to thank Judith Love Cohen for, who knows how the aerospace industry could look without her?
The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the job market in the UK over the last 12 months, with lockdown restrictions causing fluctuations in demand and influencing new attitudes towards job searching.
We recently surveyed some of our candidates who have found new roles to investigate the latest trends in recruitment and see what these could mean for future job seekers in the sectors CK Group works within.
What did our survey reveal?
Our survey found that people are spending more time applying for jobs, and are sending out more applications before successfully securing a role, as the Swiss market has become more competitive during the pandemic. The infographic you an insight into:
What candidates are looking for in new opportunities, and why they want a change
How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected job seekers
What you need to focus on attract the right talent to your business or get your CV noticed by top companies
The most popular job hunting tools and how to get the best out of them
This week is British Science Week, which is a ten day celebration of all things science, technology, engineering and maths. For 2021, British Science Week is challenging stereotypes in science and celebrating the diversity of those working in STEM careers, by sharing the stories of the inspiring individuals working in laboratories, innovation centres, universities and everywhere else across the world.
This got me thinking about my role models when I was younger and to my dismay I couldn’t really name any celebrated female scientists, apart from Marie Curie. This is partly my own failing. There are in fact many brilliant female scientists whose names we should all know, but they have been written out of our history and their achievements often attributed to their male colleagues or partners.
There is a name for this: The Matilda Effect.
Margaret Rossiter, a historian, coined the term after a Suffragette, Matilda Joslyn Gage. Margaret has worked tirelessly to uncover these hidden women and bring their names out into the spotlight where they belong. With that in mind, there is a name we should all know and that I only discovered today myself.
Dr Lise Meitner, an Austrian scientist that lead the research into nuclear fission. She collaborated and supervised some with work Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. Hahn and Strassman conducted some experiments that seemed to show Barium as one of the biproducts of the decay process of Uranium. Puzzled by the results, they showed their work to Dr Meitner who surmised that the Uranium nucleus had in fact split into two pieces during the process, now known as nuclear fission.
In 1944, Otto Hahn won the Nobel Prize for the discovery. Meitner was not even mentioned in his paper. He went on to fame and became a notable public figure, while Meitner’s contribution to the work was consigned to the marginalia of history.
I am glad we now live in an age where women are not pushed aside in favour of their male colleagues, however I also think we have a long way to go yet. We need to recognise these forgotten women of science, as understanding the past will help us to ensure that is no longer happens in the present or future.
On the 20th January, we joined a webinar hosted by The Royal Society of Chemistry on future opportunities in chemistry and employment growth areas, alongside the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
In the webinar, RSC, Recruitment Manager Victoria Walker and other guests discussed key trends in the chemistry job market, highlighted the main skills employers are looking for during the recruitment process and provided an insight into current and future opportunities.
The webinar is particularly useful for those working in chemical science and undergraduates looking to get their foot in the door.
We hosted a webinar on the 14th October on how to work with a recruitment agency and why you should consider it.
In case you missed it or want to re-watch and share with friends, a recording of the webinar has now been uploaded to our YouTube channel, so you can watch it on demand.
We discussed:
What recruitment agencies do and why you should consider working with one during your job hunt
How to maximise the effectiveness of working with a recruiter
How to make yourself stand out from the competition
We hosted a webinar with the Royal Society of Chemistry last week themed ‘How to work with a recruitment agency’. The webinar has now been posted to RSC’s YouTube channel for you to rewatch and share with friends or colleagues who would like more information on how to work with a recruitment agency and the benefits of doing so.
In today’s world, working closely and having a good relationship with a recruitment agency can be key to a successful job hunt. Not only can recruitment agencies open up the door to a huge amount of opportunities, they can introduce you to a vast network. In the webinar Victoria discusses:
Why you should work with a recruiter
How to maximise the effectiveness of working with a recruiter
Since March 2020, job hunters have seen a sharp decline in new jobs being listed globally. However, due to the recent lifting of some lockdown policies, job postings are now stabilising and beginning to rise again in the science sectors. This means that now could be the perfect time to search for a new role, as companies resume recruitment activities.
Globally, job postings have stabilised for the first time since February, according to Indeed.
Reassuringly, job vacancies across the scientific sectors are on the rise after hitting their lowest at the beginning of March.
According to CV Library, the number of pharmaceutical, medical and scientific job postings has increased by 36%.
The job site Reed suggests that there are almost 400 more jobs available now than there were one month ago.
In the UK and Ireland, jobs are on the rise in many key industries including biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceutical, environmental and life sciences.
“Knowing you have shaped the careers of individuals as well as impacted a business’s future…well there is a sense of pride in that.”
Recruitment is a versatile career, valuing experience from a wide range of backgrounds. At CK Group, our recruitment consultants bring with them experience from sales and customer service, to roles within the industries we recruit for.
One such member of our team is Naynesh Mistry, who spent eight years in industry before joining CK. Naynesh has since worked his way up through the ranks, starting with us as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant and now holding the position of Recruitment Manager of Pharma and Life Sciences.
We recently spent some time with Naynesh to get to know his background a little better, and why he chose to make the jump from industry into recruitment.
What was your background in industry before recruitment?
Prior to joining CK, I spent nearly eight years in industry. I started my career at Pfizer as a Scientist, and following this I went to work for 3M Healthcare as a Formulation Scientist. I have also worked as a Pharmaceutical Lab Manager at Keele University.
What attracted you to consider a career in recruitment?
Similar to industry, I wanted a career where I knew I was helping others and making a difference. I came to a point in my career where I could stay on the same path or take on a new challenge, and I chose to do something new.
What attracted me the most to CK Group and recruitment was the fact that it was relevant to my background – they specialise in Pharma and Life Science recruitment and I came with industry knowledge. Though I came with no sales experience, I believed in myself and wanted to help individuals secure their first roles, take on new challenges like myself and attain their dream jobs.
What do you like most about recruitment?
Every day is different. It is fast-paced and I enjoy talking to individuals from all types of backgrounds and meeting new clients. It’s a great feeling when you help someone on their journey into their first industry role or secure a new opportunity.
What 3 things would you tell someone looking to enter recruitment?
Ask yourself first: is this for me? Recruitment is like a rollercoaster, you have your highs and your lows. You will speak with a range of people where you will be offering guidance and mentorship and it is a great feeling when you help them. However, you may be let down from time to time so you need to have a strong character and remain positive at all times.
A lot of recruitment companies state that you need to have a sales background, but I didn’t. 9 years on and I am still with CK, now as a Manager of the Life Science Team. It is hard work and exhilarating at the same time.
Recruitment may not be for everyone. It is a pressured environment but it can be very rewarding. Knowing you have shaped the careers of individuals as well as impacted a business’s future…well there is a sense of pride in that.
Naynesh Mistry
If you are considering a career move and think recruitment might be for you, please get in touch by visiting our careers page here
There has been a rise in demand for contractors. According to a study by the Freelance Union, by 2020 half of the workforce will be made up of contractors – increasing from 35% of the workforce in 2014.
There are many benefits for hiring contractors, such as:
Flexibility: Contractors can be hired on a short-term or permanent basis.
Access to specialised skills set: Contractors have all the necessary skills and come already trained.
Contract recruitment has proven to lower recruitment costs.
It gives companies a ‘Try Before You Buy’ opportunity.
We surveyed some of our candidates to gain deeper understanding about what motivates candidates to accept contract roles.
As part of our careers advice series with New Scientist Jobs, Victoria Walker who is a specialist in recruitment in the chemical industry has given us her top tips of how to get started in a career in chemistry and to where this could potentially take you. Take a look here:
First you might ask, why would I want a career in chemistry?
The answer is because it provides so many diverse opportunities! Having a career within chemistry is not just limited to working in a lab (although there are many exciting lab-based jobs!). For example you could move into a field service role which would provide travel opportunities; you could get involved with plant based operations including scale up and process chemistry; and you could eventually use your career and knowledge in chemistry to educate, inspire and motivate a new generation.
So if you have a desire to work with polymers, coatings, fragrances, colours and more – follow these tips…
GCSEs or equivalent level qualifications
Most employers look for at least A-C grade (9-4 in new GCSE grading system) in Science and Maths as a minimum. Good maths skills are very important in landing your career in chemistry as it is necessary both to use these skills on a daily basis (such as measuring out chemicals and calculating proportionate yields) as well as having a sound understanding of maths on which to base the chemistry knowledge.
Further study
As people are now required to stay in full-time education until the age of 18 in the UK, options include 6th form or college, or alternatively starting an apprenticeship or trainee-ship.
If you opt to stay within traditional education, a chemistry A Level is the obvious choice. Supporting subjects include maths or physics. Should you wish to start an apprenticeship, try to find an opportunity with a chemical manufacturing company, or one with a company that may provide you with transferable skills.
Depending on the level of knowledge you are looking for and whether you intend to specialise, you may wish to embark on a University career in chemistry, and then perhaps a Masters or PhD. Please note these qualifications are not essential to obtain a career in chemistry; some employers do prefer a chemistry degree however a Masters and/ or PhD education is only for certain niche areas.
Work experience
Aside from having a knowledge and understanding of chemistry, work experience is going to be one of the main drivers in securing your career in your chosen field. We would highly recommend that you take any opportunity to immerse yourself in the industry, whether it’s only shadowing someone for a few days, voluntary lab experience, or paid temporary work/ a year in industry during university. While employers value a good chemistry education, more and more they are turning to experience as being the main tick in the box. Having gained voluntary experience also indicates that you are taking your career in chemistry seriously.
Flexibility
Ultimately, after you have achieved the above, be flexible. There are so many opportunities out there. You may have your heart set on becoming a New Product Development Chemist within water-based adhesives for the packaging industry, however please refer to our previous point – experience is everything. Appreciating that you may need to gain experience in a few other areas before being able to pursue your dream job will firstly take the pressure off, but secondly may mean that you find many other areas within chemistry that you weren’t aware of before.
Mary Kenneth Keller: The first woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science in the US was also a Nun.
Continuing with our adventure into the world of science and technology pioneers, who also happen to be women, I would like to introduce to you Mary Kenneth Keller.
Mary Kenneth Keller was born in Ohio in 1913. Although not too much is known about her early life we do know that in 1932, at the age of 18, she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and went on to take her vows as a nun in 1940. Not too many years later she earned a BSc in Mathematics from DePaul University, quickly following it up with a Masters in Mathematics & Physics. She became the first woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science in the United States.
She studied at some of the most prestigious universities in America and worked in the Computer Science Centre workshop in Dartmouth College (a male only institute at the time). During her time there she assisted in the development of the BASIC computer language.
Up until that time only mathematicians and scientists were able to write custom computer code. The creation of BASIC completely changed that and gave anyone who could learn the language the ability to program thus making computing accessible for most of the population. She went on to found the Computer Science department at Clarke College in Iowa and remained their Director for twenty years.
Mary Kenneth Keller was passionate about computing at a time when it was mostly reserved for the academic elite who were also mostly male. She envisioned a world where computers could learn on their own and considered Artificial Intelligence to be an extremely achievable goal stating “For the first time, we can now mechanically simulate the cognitive process. We can make studies in artificial intelligence.”.
More than that though she could see the potential to radically change how we educate ourselves and provide information to everyone, anywhere! She was a true pioneer.
It is widely known that women within the STEM sector are vastly under-represented, and we would like to encourage more women to consider a career in STEM. This year is also the 100th year since the first British women were given the right to vote.
This article aims to showcase the one of the most influential women in history who contributed greatly to discoveries in science, as part of our ‘Women in Engineering’ series. Some of these women you may have heard of, others are unsung heroines.
The first woman in this series is Sameera Moussa:
Sameera Moussa – Nuclear Physicist, March 3, 1917 – August 5, 1952
Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive materials to help diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases. It is quick, painless and usually performed as an outpatient procedure. It has literally saved and improved the lives of countless people, but did you know that one of the earliest pioneers of nuclear medicine was a woman named Sameera Moussa?
You may never have heard her name before, but you definitely should have. She was a contemporary of many famous scientists such as Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Watson & Crick.
Sameera’s mother died of cancer while Sameera was still very young, and this is likely one of the reasons she dedicated her life to making nuclear technology accessible for medical use. She once claimed she wanted to make nuclear treatment as cheap as Aspirin. Throughout her life she volunteered at various hospitals, helping care for cancer patients.
Sameera excelled in her primary and secondary education, eventually winning a place at Cairo University where she joined the Faculty of Sciences to study for a BSc in Radiology. She finished her degree with First Class Honours and followed up this triumph with a doctorate in Atomic Radiation. She later became a lecturer and assistant professor at the university, the first woman to hold such a post there.
She was awarded the prestigious and highly competitive Fulbright Scholarship which allowed her to travel to California and study within the modern research facilities. She was even given permission to visit secret US atomic facilities in recognition of her pioneering nuclear research, and was the first non-US born person to be granted that privilege.
Sameera came to work in the UK and whilst working there, she discovered an equation that would make nuclear bombs cheaper. However, she also set up the Atomic Energy for Peace conference because she knew that radiation was more than just a destructive force.
Sadly, her life and pioneering work were cut short as she was killed in a tragic car accident whilst in California, when the vehicle she was travelling in fell from a height of 40 feet.
Who knows what she could have accomplished if she hadn’t unfortunately died so young.
The Egyptian Army honoured her in 1953 and she was posthumously awarded the Order of Science and Arts, First Class. She has a school and laboratory named after her in the village she once lived in.
You now know who Sameera Moussa was and why she should be your new hero!
International Women in Engineering day happens on the 23rd of June annually. Its purpose is to celebrate the amazing women who have gone before us as well as those currently in the engineering sector and to highlight the awesome career prospects to young women who are just starting out on their career path. For this year’s women in engineering day, I would like to celebrate two specific women. One whom you have probably heard of, and one you may not have yet.
Let’s start with Hedy Lamarr.
Hedy is perhaps most famous as a successful actress in the 1930’s. One of those “silver screen goddesses of MGM” types. What you might not know is that she was an accomplished engineer and inventor too. During the Second World War, she was the co-inventor of a frequency hopping device to remotely guide torpedoes. Along with her colleague George Anthiel they got the patent for their Secret Communication System on 11th August 1942. Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy weren’t interested in using inventions that came from outside the military. The patent lapsed in 1959 but, in 1962 the communication technology was installed on U.S. ships that were sent to blockade Cuba. Today, the ‘frequency hopping’ technology has been integral in creating GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Hedy and George were posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
6% of registered engineers and technicians are women
The UK has the lowest level of female engineering professionals in Europe. We are severely lagging behind countries like Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus who have around 30%
BUT:
A survey of 300 female engineers said the 84% were happy or extremely happy with their career choice.
Girls are taking up STEM subjects in equal numbers to boys at GCSE level so, where are they all going?
I decided to ask a current engineering student her perspective on what it’s like to be a woman studying what is clearly still a male dominated area.
Emily Kirk, who is currently studying her 2nd year in Aerospace Engineering at the University of the West of England, kindly donated her time to come and meet me in the office to chat. Emily decided to go into engineering while completing her A Levels when she discovered she really enjoyed mathematics and physics. Always a problem solver, she didn’t let the fact that there were only four other girls in her A Level classes put her off. By the end of the A Levels, there was just one girl.
During her course, Emily noticed that her teacher sometimes made jokes or said things that made her uncomfortable and showed that he probably hadn’t really considered what it was like to be a girl study those subjects. Luckily that attitude didn’t put Emily off going to University and, it didn’t continue when she got there. Although there is still a great disparity in the amount of girls on her degree compared to boys, she said that her lecturers do not treat her differently and the other boys on her course don’t either. She was adamant that she has not experienced any sexism of any kind from anyone whilst studying in Bristol and can even say that the Head of Engineering & Mathematics is a woman. When I asked if she thought that the gender bias in engineering is changing she was very sure that it was, in a positive way and that the future is very bright for women in engineering.
So perhaps it’s all an image problem? I had a quick look at some advertising in the Engineering & Technology magazine that was specifically designed to attract more women to the sector.
I wasn’t impressed.
A quick glance showed that they were trying to sell engineering to girls using images such as tampons, broken apart dolls and in one (awful instance) a rocket shaped like a phallus. All the ads seemed very tone deaf to me and in some ways were still selling the same sexist points of view that turned off generations of women from engineering.
As a recruiter in the engineering sector, I hardly ever see CVs from women. I am truly hoping that will change in the coming years. I don’t think we are going to do it through advertising campaigns, I think we will do it by changing the way we talk to children about engineering subjects.
Let’s stop saying things like ‘girls are bad at maths’ (yes, that was said to me when I was in primary school). Let’s tell girls, and boys, that they can do anything as long as they put the hard work in!
