WES are delighted to announce the appointment of Kirsten Bodley as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 June 2017. Kirsten has been acting as interim CEO for the Society since October 2016.

After graduating with a Chemistry degree from King's College, London, Kirsten started her career with Courtaulds, before gaining an MBA from Imperial College, London and joining KPMG Consulting as a Management Consultant. She later became a Director at STEMNET, and then CEO for six years. She also is a trustee at Founders4schools.

WES President Benita Mehra commented, "Having conducted an extensive search and selection process, I am delighted that Kirsten Bodley is joining WES as CEO. Kirsten has considerable experience and expertise and a strong track record of success in running a charity in a complex environment with a multitude of institution, charities and outreach organisations. I am confident that, under Kirsten's leadership, the team will deliver the change and growth necessary to take WES forward and enhance the value for our members".

Kirsten Bodley commented, "I am delighted to be appointed Chief Executive at WES as we are entering a really exciting growth phase for the charity, increasing our reach and support for women in engineering. I look forward to leading the organisation through its centenary in 2019 and into the next 100 years."

WES Heart of England Cluster visit to Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) scenic workshops

A visit has been arranged to the scenic workshops of the RSC, Stratford-on-Avon on Tuesday 27th June 2017 at 2pm. The workshop is where the RSC sets and props take shape, using the drawings and a 1:25 scale model presented by the designer to make the design a reality, creating a set that will last a whole season of performances. 

The visit is limited to 15 attendees, so to book your place please email Helen:  [email protected]

Kirsten Oliver, along with a colleague from INTECSEA participated in the WISE (women in Science and Engineering) themed event held at the Warwick School in Redhill Surrey. Kirsten and Sharmila work in the offshore oil and gas industry and were joined by colleagues from Atkins, McLaren, Frazer Nash, BAE, NHS, Black and Veatch, Virgin Airways. 

This half day event enabled nearly one hundred 12-14yr old female students from a newly established Academy group of schools; Warwick School (Redhill), Therfield School (Leatherhead) and The Ashcombe School (Dorking) to interview twenty Engineers from different fields in a speed dating environment. The aim of the event was to share information on what jobs entail and the entry routes that we all followed. A great fun morning was had by the girls and the WISE women volunteers.

A t the end of April Jan Peters had an exciting day at Buckingham Palace collecting her (well deserved!) MBE for services to women in engineering and science. Jan continues to champion inclusion in engineering and is currently working on a report with UCL to reframe how we educate engineers. 

• Graduate Tutor Engineering Management | University of the West of England, Bristol
• Cadent Gas Ltd - Repair Support Engineer | Cadent, Birmingham, 
• Diesel Calibration Engineer | (Agency) AJT Executive Search, UK 
• Lecturer in Electronic Engineering | University of the West of England, Bristol
• Product Engineer - Team Leader | Cummins, Daventry 
• Senior Engineer | Cummins, Ramsgate
• Lead Design Engineer | Cummins, Daventry
• Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/ Reader/ Chair Dyson School of Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering | Imperial College, London
• IT & Datacentre Segment Sales Manager | Eaton, Slough
• HR Manager | Eaton, Litchfield
• Continuous Improvement Manager | Eaton, Doncaster - CLOSING 19 May

Advances in Process Automation and Control 2017 will examine the technologies that underpin the industrial internet of things, and will explore the implication of the fourth industrial revolution for the process industries that we serve.

The event will encourage the cross fertilisation of ideas, expertise and technologies by bringing together the researchers from our strong academic base, practitioners with in-depth experience of the traditional process control sectors, and representatives from new domains of application and manufacturing sectors.


Conference programme and registration

15 June 2017

Wellcome Library, London

Wellcome Library and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) are joining forces to host a Women Engineers Wikithon. 

Join us to celebrate the women engineers that deserve a more prominent place in the online historical record. You'll hear inspirational talks on some women from the history of engineering, then develop your digital skills and learn how to edit Wikipedia in order to harness the power of the web for public engagement. There'll also be the opportunity to see some interesting archive materials and to explore the Wellcome Collection's Electricity: The Spark of Life exhibition.

Further details for the event and sign up here.

If you are looking for materials and references on possible entries then please  contact Nina Baker, Engineering Historian .

#9PercentIsNotEnough IET Conference

23 June 2017
IET Birmingham: Austin Court, UK

Overcoming barriers to inspire, attract, recruit and retain more women in engineering and technology

Only 9% of the engineers in the UK are women. This disconnect will damage engineering and technology companies for years to come if something is not done about it. However, the answer, of course is not a simple one; it is complex, multi-layered and sometimes subtle and unconscious.

The #9PercentIsNotEnough Conference and Workshops event will provide a platform to disseminate their best practice through 9 practical workshops, panel discussions and case studies. There will also be plenty of networking time during the day and into the evening drinks reception.

Planned to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day, the event will provide 3 key benefits for you and your colleagues:

• Take away practical solutions to help you embed more female engineers to meet the talent crunch of the 21st century
• Hear from leaders of major engineering and technology companies as they provide advice on how to increase the 9% figure
• Network with fellow participants to share your ideas and glean those of others to incorporate into your organisation

See the full programme and book your place.

Saturday 1 July 2017 [£25 per person, £300 per team]

Bletchley, Buckinghamshire 

Sign up online today

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation have commissioned the research agency ICM Unlimited to carry out this major study, identifying the reasons why people choose to train as engineering apprentices and study for an engineering degree.

They are particularly keen to maximise the number of female respondents and are seeking your help with an exciting and important research study aimed at:
(i) current or recent engineering apprentices (Level 2 or higher)
(ii) current or recent engineering undergraduates
(iii) company HR departments, college admissions, FE or HE engineering schools or any other body or organisation responsible for overseeing or recruiting engineering trainees and students

This work is intended to inform broader activity exploring attitudes, behaviours and cultural influences on career decision-making related to engineering. We hope it will offer suggestions on ways we can improve recruitment of engineering apprentices and undergraduates.

The online survey should take 15-20 minutes and  there is a prize draw of 4 X £25 Amazon vouchers. Please note t he deadline for responses is Friday 19 May.

Click here to access the survey. 

Network Rail is accepting applications for its Property Returners programme. 

Applications are welcome from professional men and women who have taken a career break of two years or more. The programme is open to surveyors of all levels and specialisms located across the UK. The programme runs for 12 weeks from September 2017 with the potential to join on a permanent basis thereafter. The application deadline is 29 May 2017.

For more information on the programme, the opportunities available, and to apply. 

Recognising that women are traditionally under-represented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths) studies and the related professions, Ford is delighted to announce the Ford Prize for Women in STEM Study 2017. The prize recognises the achievements of women in STEM, who are encouraging other women to become involved.

In association with the Ford PWN (Professional Women's Network) the prize is to be awarded to a female student who will be starting her second year of a STEM degree in September/October 2017, and who can demonstrate that they are inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists. 

1st Prize £1,000 -  Entries accepted until June 30th 2017 

I f you have been involved in STEM educational initiatives then Ford want to hear from you.  The  Entry Form plus Terms and Conditions can be found here.

Virgin Media are partnering with Women Returners to launch their first returner programme with opportunities for civil engineers. 

The 6 month, paid programme which starts in September 2017, has opportunities in Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Hook (Hampshire). The closing date for applications is the 2nd June 2017. Please click here to find out more.

Leading younger people from across the engineering services sector have a new opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for their achievements, following the formal launch of the ECA's 'Power Players' initiative. 

Power Players is open to entries from anyone aged 39 or below who has achieved innovative or impactful activity in their careers so far. The initiative is open until Friday 23 June. To enter, individuals simply need to submit a short video at www.powerplayers.uk.com.

There are a range of top-quality prizes for the two most impressive Power Players, including the opportunity of a lifetime of a business and networking trip to the USA. Other prizes include lunch with business guru Sir John Parker, who is the chair of global mining firm Anglo American. 

With wo rkplace diversity and inclusion firmly at the top of its agenda, Where Women Work is helping promote the Institution of Engineering & Technology's (IET) programme that celebrates women engineers and technologists via excellent awards, medals and scholarships. 

Find out how to nominate impressive women who are breaking down barriers in the STEM arena and achieving great success.

The CIA (Children's Intelligence Agency) is a secret, hi-tech intelligence agency run by kids who solve missions globally.

At Imperial Festival in May, the CIA recruited 500 new members but, we have a problem. There is an engineering skill shortage amongst our agents. If you know an aspiring engineer under the age of 16 then sign them-up to join the CIA today for a FREE mission. We are about STEM engagement through stories + humour.

If you want to introduce an inquisitive young kid to the world of coding then check out our flagship story Detective Dot and because we love WES here's a 15% discount code WESROCKS which can be used on all our edtech products. 

Visit the website to find out more about us (and purchase our edtech products). 

Channel 4 are still on the hunt for top class engineers and mechanics to escape from  a variety of catastrophic crash sites in hostile environments around the world. If you are aged 18 or over and  have the skills, stamina, enthusiasm and ingenuity to build an escape vehicle salvaged from the debris of a crash site, then  e-mail   [email protected]