As the world marks the
‘International Women
in Engineering Day’ on
June 23, Siemens is
working hard to ensure
that more women join the
manufacturing sector
Sarah and many other female colleagues
have demonstrated that women can excel
and flourish in the manufacturing sector.
“The world of manufacturing and
engineering has opened up huge
opportunities for women,” says Sarah
Black-Smith. “We have seen a significant
increase in the number of women joining
the manufacturing sector but more needs
to be done. “What needs to change is the
mind-set of women and those working in
factories.
“The options in engineering are wide and
varied, from mechanical and electrical
and now there is convergence of internet
technology and operational technology.
Students aspiring to be engineers already
come with knowledge of computing from
school and this is an added bonus in the
world of engineering.”
Sarah has recruited and mentored many
graduates, interns and apprentices over the
years and since the launch of the Congleton
Junior Factory in 2014 she takes a lot of
them under her wing.
An example is 25-year-old Ashleigh Sumner.
In 2014, after getting good A-levels in maths,
physics and product design, she was not so
keen to take the university route and applied
for apprenticeships in engineering. She
joined the Siemens apprentice programme
as part of its first cohort of trainees at the
Congleton Junior Factory. While there,
she completed her Higher National
Certificate and then achieved a first-class
honours degree in Control and Automation
Engineering from Salford University in 2018.
Six years on she is a product manufacturing
engineer at Congleton.
“It has been a wonderful journey and intense
learning experience for me at Siemens,”
says Ashleigh. “I am well accepted by my
colleagues and they respect me. I love
my job. I am always pushing myself to
do better and to go the extra mile. This
is the best thing that has happened to
me. I can’t imagine a different path for
myself.” Ashleigh’s ambition is to get into
management and head the department as a
next step.
Ashleigh sees Sarah as her idol and
remembers advice she gave her as an
apprentice, “If you’re presented with an
opportunity, no matter how small, and
your initial instinct it to run in the opposite
direction because it scares you, that’s a sign
for you to jump at it as it will definitely open
new doors”.
Siemens is constantly looking at new ways
to encourage women into the engineering
field. It has invested in initiatives like ‘Future
Females’ which sponsors engineering
scholarships and bursaries through The
Institution of Engineering and Technology’s
Horizons bursary programme.
Siemens continues its push with grass roots
level initiatives, which include ‘SeeWomen’
an interactive show helping schoolgirls think
seriously about careers in engineering.
In 2019, the programme was attended by
1,000 schoolgirls across the country and
2,400 teachers accessed the supporting
downloadable resources. For 2020 the
programme has been re-branded to ‘SeeMe’
with a view to reaching diverse groups and
encourage careers in STEM. The company
also has many dedicated employees who go
into local schools to inspire young people to
consider STEM careers.
Holliday says: “I see huge potential for
women to succeed in engineering and
technology companies, in every kind of role
from management and manufacturing, to
projects as well as sales and service and
Sarah and Ashleigh are great examples. At
Siemens, we actively build inclusion into
our thinking to see that people’s talent
shines through. The International Women in
Engineering Day is a potent reminder that
now is the time to ensure women are able to
excel in workplaces across industry. Siemens
supports this stance wholeheartedly.”
For further information, please visit www.siemenc.co.uk/diversity
Issue 45 PECM 65