Manufacturing Matters week headlines inspirational females 26 November 2013

Manufacturing SMEs in England are being urged to do more to change perceptions of the industry and get more females interested in careers in engineering.

One of the area directors behind the Manufacturing Advisory Service made the rallying call yesterday (25 November 2013) as part of the organisation's Manufacturing Matters week, and in response to the Girls' Attitude Survey from Girlguiding, which suggests that 62% of its members think engineering is for men.

Lorraine Holmes believes we are missing out on a vital resource that could unlock future skills shortages and help solve the issue of ageing engineering workforces.

"Engineering is not just about the Jaguar Land Rovers, Airbuses and JCBs of this world: there's a whole host of innovative, world-class companies that make up the supply chain,"" comments Holmes, who spent 18 years with Henkel Chemical and Ameron.

"Yet very few young girls actually know about them," she continues. "The Girlguiding survey provides a snapshot of what members think and it doesn't make great reading.

"Nearly half feel they don't have enough knowledge of what jobs are available and 30% still feel sexism is a barrier to choosing a career in this sector."

Holmes suggests that there are plenty of "fantastic women" involved in industry, "from working on the shopfloor and managing quality, to designing cars of the future and running successful multi-million pound businesses".

She cites Millennium Pressed Metal's Anna Stevenson (pictured), who used an A-Level feasibility study to start a small 'rapid turnaround' business more than a decade ago.

From a small start-up in a 4,000 sqft rented unit, she has taken the business to nearly £3m annual turnover, supplying presswork, turned parts and mechanical assemblies for use by some of the world's biggest global brands.

"I still pinch myself [over] how far we've come and what we are achieving on a day-to-day basis," comments Stevenson.

"Nearly six millions parts are made by us every year... Not many of my friends went into industry, but my mother also runs an industrial business and, when I was younger, I'd often go into the factory at weekends to see how things worked."

Stevenson explains that she has doubled the business since 2009 and now employs 31 people, 50% of whom are women. "I can honestly say that the times I've experienced discrimination have been very rare. As long as you do the job, at the price they want and on time it doesn't matter what sex you are."

Manufacturing Matters week is dedicated to showcasing England's manufacturing SMEs, a sector that accounts for 110,000 businesses and employs 1.1 million people.

The campaign, which has launched a dedicated website (manufacturingmatters.mymas.org), wants to tackle some of the issues facing firms through a series of events and activities across the country.

Brian Tinham

Related Websites
http://manufacturingmatters.mymas.org/

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.