Forget X Factor, here comes Female Engineer Factor

09 September 2008

As this year’s X Factor competition grabs the nation’s attention, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has kicked off its own search to find the very best young female engineers.

The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year award is unique within the engineering profession. Now in its 31st year, the award not only celebrates the most talented young female engineers in the UK, but also demonstrates that engineering is a challenging, exciting and rewarding career for women.

Contenders for the title of Young Woman Engineer of the Year won’t be forced to sing in front of a panel of judges or be subjected to scathing reviews of their singing. However, like the X Factor the Young Woman Engineer of the Year contest will be looking for talented contenders - in this case, young female engineers.

Robin McGill, IET chief executive, said: “The IET’s recently published skills survey shows that just 6% of the overall engineering and technology workforce are women. Engineering needs a new image, and we need to demonstrate that there are exciting and rewarding careers in engineering for women as well as men. Engineering affects everyone everywhere in the world and we must ensure it is seen as an attractive career choice.”

Alice Delahunty, a 27-year-old engineer with power company E-ON, was overall winner of the award in 2007. She said: “Awards like this are vital for promoting engineering as a career to young people, and in particular to girls who might not have considered it. I really enjoy my job and was delighted to be given the opportunity to share that with potential engineers of the future.”

The winner of the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award will receive £1,000 and a trophy and a chance to be an ambassador for engineering worldwide. In addition, the Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices will be presented to an outstanding female engineering apprentice who has made a contribution within the workplace beyond the realms of her normal duties and demonstrated dynamism in her approach to the solution of engineering problems.

The closing date for all entries is 31 October 2008. The awards will be announced at a ceremony in London in February 2009.

For further information, please visit www.youngwomanengineer.org.

Media enquiries to:

Robert Beahan
IET Press Officer
T: +44 (0)1438 767336
M: +44 (0)7590 776281
E: rbeahan@theiet.org

Mary Donovan
IET Head of Communications
T: +44 (0)1438 765587
M: +44 (0)7533 671949
E: mdonovan@theiet.org