WES Appoint Events Manager Jess Aries has been appointed as the new WES Events Manager. Jess has many years' experience in managing events for a wide variety of organisations especially in the not-for-profit and charitable sectors including for the Nuffield Foundation, Royal Society of Medicine and Diabetes UK. Jess started on 15 January 2018 and is a welcome addition to the WES Team. She is already making her mark on #INWED18!

WES London Cluster 

WES Council Member, Carol Morris, achieves Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy 

Carol Morris, Deputy Head of School: Engineering and Innovation at The Open University, became a Principal Fellow in November 2017. She is one of only eight Principal Fellows in the Open University and one of 800 nationally. The Principal Fellowship recognises significant strategic leadership in Learning and Teaching and an ongoing commitment to student learning.

Dawn Fitt is developing a programme looking to encourage female full time and part time students including apprentices to network, firstly via a closed Facebook group and later to attend seminars, host technical visits and to hopefully grow their numbers.  She is also in discussions with Matthew Studdard-Kennedy at The Shuttleworth Collection to develop a programme for INWED.

She is seeking advice and support for these initiatives from members in the Beds/Cambs/North Herts and Bucks areas email:  [email protected]

In celebration of International Women's Day 2018, INWES-Europe, the regional network of the International Network of Women Engineers & Scientists will be holding its annual events in Lisbon: its 3rd Board meeting, Annual Conference on the theme "Women engineers & scientists bringing concrete action to socio-economic impacts of Climate Change" and the First General Assembly of INWES-Europe. We are expecting this to be a lively set of meetings, including networking with colleagues from across Europe and beyond. 

All WES members are also INWES members and encouraged to participate in INWES-Europe. Several WES representatives will be at these meetings - join us! Email Sarah Peers [email protected] if you have any questions. Further information can be found here and to register email the Secretary General [email protected] by 24 February.

Follow INWES-Europe on Twitter @INWES_Europe , on Facebook INWES-Europe .

INWES-Europe's Response to the Open Consultation on Bridging the Digital Gender Divide

View their main conclusions in the compilation of responses document - entry no. 45 on page 46.

WES is mentioned in this Huffington Post blog by Sue Fern 'Young Minds Are The Future: We Owe It To Them To Fight Career Stereotypes'

6 February-8 March 2018, 10:00-16:00 [Adults £13.50] Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey

Exploring war work through the individual experiences of five women, 'Doing Their Bit: Brooklands Women in the Great War' highlights a range of roles that women took on. In an innovative, dispersed exhibition, travel around Brooklands Museum to meet Hilda, Muriel, Gertrude, Ethel and Kathleen. From aircraft manufacture to supporting our armed forces to caring for the wounded, this exhibition tells the story of these women's work in World War One.

Find out more here

OxFEST 7th Annual Symposium - STEMpower Her: Together We Rise 24 February 2018, 8:30-19:00 [£15 / early £10] St. Anne's College, Oxford

OxFEST (Oxford Females in Engineering, Science, and Technology) is one of Oxford University's largest student societies, and we promote gender equality in STEM subjects. We are delighted to bring a fantastic all-day programme to you in our 7th Annual Symposium. The conference is open to individuals of all genders.

Further information and book your tickets here

Getting More Women Into Technology 24 February 2018, 10:00-18:00 [Free] ThoughtWorks London, London

There has been a lack of women in the UK technology industry for more than two decades now. As the industry grows in importance to the UK economy, the percentage of women working in the tech sector has remained relatively constant, with women accounting for just 17% of tech jobs overall. The underrepresentation of women in the UK technology industry is a core issue, and addressing the gender gap is critical to long-term success.

More information and register here 

FISITA Technical Webinar with Ygomi 28 February 2018, 11:00 [Free]

FISITA will be joined by T. Russell Shields, Chair of Ygomi, and his presentation is titled 'Precise Localization for Automated Driving'. The webinar will be followed by a live question and answer session, allowing participants to pose their questions directly to Mr Shields.

Participants are asked to register in advance here

Webinar: Activating the diversity process in Engineering and Oil & Gas   28 February 2018, 16:00 [Free]

The Includes You webinar will cover many various topics relating to diversity, from historical talent acquisition methods and how they can be improved, to the benefits companies using a fair process to attract candidates can expect to see. This includes the following topics: Why are we still using CVs?; The introduction of diversity; Reduce your unconscious bias; and How using a fair process will have a positive impact on your employer brand.

Further information and register here 

Beyond automation: the new world of work 6 March 2018, 18:30-20:30 [Free] 3 Carlton House Terrace, London

Disruptive technologies - including automation, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things - offer enticing possibilities for the future. Some of us may look forward to a world where machines are responsible for the dangerous, repetitive and arduous tasks increasing our productivity and freeing our time to explore new opportunities. Meanwhile, others may face potential job loss or the need to re-skill.

Register for the event to explore this new world of engineering opportunities 

Women in STEM Wikithon 7 March 2018, 14:00-18:00 [Free] Imperial College, London

This Women in STEM Wikithon celebrates some of the brilliant people who deserve a more prominent place in the online historical record. Find out about inspirational scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians, then develop your digital skills and learn how to edit Wikipedia in order to harness the power of the web to share your knowledge. Complete beginners and experienced editors are both welcome to attend and training is provided for anyone new to editing.

Further information and register here 

International Women's Day Celebration 11 March 2018, 14:00-17:00 [£5, students £2] Desborough Theatre, Maidenhead

Local Soroptimist International Clubs invite you to join them to celebrate International Women's Day , to learn about some of the issues faced by women over the last 100 years to now and to raise awareness of the work that women's organisations are doing.  This year also sees the 100th Anniversary of women getting the vote. The theme of the Conference is: "What Have We Achieved?".   

To book your place, email: [email protected]

The show is a signature event during UN Women's  HeForSheArts Week  which is celebrated annually and this year globally from 8-15 March. HeForShe has the ambition to remove the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls achieving their potential.

Tickets are on sale here

Communications engineering is helping to shape our future world. But the evolution of technology is impacted by a workforce shortage in engineering, with low levels of female representation, despite awareness of how diversity can positively impact organisations. Ofcom are hosting an interactive session where you'll hear panellists from Ofcom and other organisations discuss how they can help to close the gender gap.

Sign up for the event here 

More Upcoming Events

To find out more about these previously advertised events visit the WES website:

• 4 March 2018, #March4Women Sunday
• 6 March 2018, Women in Construction Summit
• 9-10 March 2018, INWES-Europe in Lisbon
• 19-22 March 2018, Space Mission Operations Course (SMOC) 2018
• 25 April 2018, Institute of Physics one-day meeting: Women Physicists in the Nuclear Industry
• 16 May 2018, Building Resilience in Further Education and Skills
• 23 June 2018, International Women in Engineering Day 2018

The Oil and Gas Technical Apprentice Programme is offered in four key disciplines: Electrical Maintenance, Mechanical Maintenance, Process Operations and Instrumentation and Control Maintenance. The programme commences in September and is currently open for applications. It is split into two stages; apprentices will spend time at college (Aberdeen or Edinburgh) and on the worksite with a sponsoring company, where they will receive expert on-the-job training.

Further information and how to apply

Apply to become an RAEng Visiting Professor

Each year, the Royal Academy of Engineering awards at least 20 Visiting Professor posts to UK Universities. This industry-into-academia initiative aims to use the experience of the Visiting Professors to enhance student learning, as well as the employability and skills of UK engineering graduates.

Visiting Professors participate in course development, face-to-face teaching and mentoring of engineering undergraduates at the host university for at least 12 days a year for three years.

Apply here before 3 April 2018

Nominate your unsung heroine To mark International Women's Day, LEAD is to run a special feature, showcasing women who go above and beyond the call of duty - those who deserve a little recognition and thanks.

Has your female boss transformed your organisation? Do you know a woman breaking the mold in a male-dominated industry? Have you got a younger female colleague who is a rising star? Nominees can work in any type of job, in any sector and be of any age or seniority. The only criteria is that they identify as women and that they set an excellent example to others.

If you know a brilliant, talented, hard-working, supportive woman who deserves to be celebrated send in your nominations before 23 February 2018

Best Practice Awards 2018 Working Families Best Practice Awards open for entries.

Showcase and celebrate your achievements by entering your flexible/agile working, work life and parent/carer support initiatives for the Working Families' Best Practice Awards. Tell us how your policies and practices are helping to build a flexible and employee-friendly working culture for all; how you are offering additional support to parents and carers; and how your initiatives are supporting career progression and increasing gender diversity and equality in your workforce.

The Award Categories:

Best for Mothers	Best for Flexible Recruitment	Carers UK Best for Carers and Eldercare
Best for Fathers	Best for Diverse Families	Best Family Network
Best Innovation	Best for Embedded Flexibility	Best Flexible Working Initiative
Best Employer	Best for Line Manager Support	Government Equalities Office Best Returner Programme

More information and register for the awards here

Exciting time for women engineers

With AECOM's launch of a Career Returners Programme for STEM professionals, and a strong focus on women engineers via University of Sheffield's Year of the Engineer Campaign - women engineers are in big demand by employers. From a young age STEM is drawing interest. Excitingly, of the 575 teams recently competing at the Northrop Grumman UK Cyber Defence Competition, CyberCenturion, 116 were all-female teams. Great progress, and it's being celebrated at www.wherewomenwork.com

Engineering Today: the Supply and Demand for Engineers in the UK

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board report analyses secondary data collected from a range of sources to study the characteristics, demographics and education levels of the engineering workforce, from engineers, to technicians and the skilled trades. In addition, the report looks at the future demand and the extent to which the UK has a shortage of engineers. Unlike previous ECITB reports, this study considers the wider labour market for engineers, not just engineers employed in the engineering construction industry.

Further information and download the report here 

The BBC are making a landmark documentary for BBC One that will mark 100 years of women getting the right to vote in the UK. Anne Robinson will meet British people from across the social spectrum to explore how far we've come along the road to equality. They are keen to explore the pay gap and whether women feel confident negotiating pay or asking for a pay rise.  Do you have a pay review coming up and would like to ask for a pay increase, or a job interview where you'd like to negotiate your pay, or maybe you'd just like to have the confidence to ask your boss for more money!

If you would like to take part email [email protected] or call 0207 428 5620

On 6 February 1918 the UK Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act which reformed voting rights and gave some women the vote for the first time. Royal Mail have issued a set of eight stamps that document some of the campaign activities and public actions undertaken by the women who campaigned tirelessly to win the vote.   

The stamps are available online and from Post Offices nationwide.