To encourage female secondary school students to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), Gloucestershire based engineering company Renishaw is hosting an International Women in Engineering Day event at its New Mills headquarters. On Saturday June 23rd, 2018, students aged from eleven to 18, with their parents/guardians, are invited to visit Renishaw to learn more about the opportunities open to females in this exciting field.

During the event, attendees will meet Renishaw’s female apprentices and graduates to hear about their experiences and learn about the different paths into engineering. The group will then rotate around workshops, including a hands-on engineering session building LED torches.

Visitors will be invited on a tour of the impressive Renishaw Innovation Centre and to take part in a speed networking session. There will also be a CV writing workshop to help the students with their applications to further education or apprenticeships.

“Engineering is often perceived as being a male-only industry,” explained Siobhan Denniff, Education Outreach Executive at Renishaw. “We want both generations to understand that women can have an exciting and rewarding career in engineering.  CV writing skills are valuable to students pursuing a career in any industry,” continued Denniff. “Despite this, it isn’t always covered in the school curriculum. Renishaw hopes to overcome this by offering a CV writing workshop to give students the skills they need to successfully articulate themselves when starting their careers.” 

“I was fascinated with technology from a very young age, having my own computer at age 5. My decision to pursue a career in software came much later when I took Computer Science at A-Level,” explained Lucy Spiteri-Beale, Software Engineering Apprentice at Renishaw. “Workshops like these can get girls excited about engineering and teach them that they shouldn’t be afraid to defy stereotypes.”

Renishaw has a team of over 140 science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) ambassadors, 33 per cent of whom are female. The STEM ambassadors are a part of Renishaw’s education outreach programme, which offers events and workshops to students to inspire the next generation of engineers.

For more information about Renishaw’s education outreach programme, visit http://www.renishaw.com/en/education-outreach–34713