The challenge Crossrail has posed is aimed at young women aged 16 to 19, and asks them to come up with innovative and compelling ways to attract more women to the industry.
While almost a third (29%) of jobs at Crossrail Ltd are filled by women – compared to that of just 20% of job roles across the UK construction industry – the project wants to explore ways to leave a lasting legacy to the sector.
From the entries, 30 will be selected and to take part in a skills training and speed-networking sessions with some of the UK’s leading women in the engineering and construction. They will also be taken on site for a Crossrail tour.
The top five winners will also get a mentor for a year that will provide virtual support and advice. The winners’ day takes place on National Women in Engineering Day on Monday 23 June 2014 at Crossrail’s Canary Wharf offices.
Crossrail is Europe’s largest infrastructure project and wants to boost the representation of women working in construction, particularly in engineering roles. The UK has the lowest representation of women engineers of any European country, making up just 8.5% of the workforce.
Ailie MacAdam, Crossrail’s Central Section Director said: “Attracting young women into the sector is key to the industry’s future. We’re in a unique position where we can speak to industry and talk about ways in which we can make engineering and construction a valid option as a career path. There is no quick fix to this issue; but we want to make inroads into the matter so we can ensure the UK has a thriving skilled workforce from all backgrounds.”
William Akerman, MD and Founder, MyKindaCrowd said: “Getting more young woman engaged and attracted to engineering and construction is vital for the future of the industry. The industry needs to work hard to encourage young engineers of the future and create an equal work force. It is great that Crossrail is setting this challenge and showing young people that engineering is an exciting and valued career option.”
The unprecedented demand for new skills will result in more than 1.8 million engineer jobs opening by 2020. To meet this demand, the UK needs to double the number of people with engineering qualifications.
Finalised ideas can be sent by visiting www.mykindacrowd.com/Challenges/engineer-your-future. Resources for teachers can also be downloaded by following the link. The challenge closes on Friday 23 May 2014 at 11:59pm. Any entries received after this date will not be counted.
Source:- Crossrail
