November 2018
Women's Engineering Society eNewsletter
Welcome to the November edition of the WES newsletter. 

In this month's newsletter we have all the latest WES updates, upcoming events, job vacancies and all other news.

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The Women's Engineering Society is committed to supporting women in engineering. Click through the following link for more information on  being a WES memberIt costs just one pound per week and helps us to do our work to inspire and support women to achieve their potential as engineers, applied scientists and technical leaders.
 
If you have any news you would like to share with WES, please email us on news@1919.wes.org.uk

Visit the WES website  and follow WES on twitter @WES1919
Follow  MentorSET  on twitter  @mentorset  or visit the  website.
WESUpdatesWES Update and Events
A Call for Action
WES campaigns for a woman to feature on the new £50 note

The Bank of England is asking for nominations for a person of science to appear on the new £50. WES wants that person to be a woman, so we asked our Members to vote from a selection of pioneering women from science and engineering, in the hope that if we can get our Members and supporters to concentrate their support for that woman, we would increase the chance of that woman being selected by the Bank of England.

The clear favourite was  Ada Lovelace . Ada's inspirational work in creating the first form of a computer programme sits at the core of so many things which are now the basis of approaches to engineering and science.The impact of computing on modern engineering is vast - it was such a key enabler! Make sure your voice is heard: vote on the  Bank of England website  by Friday 14 December.
WES Centenary Conference - Celebrating the Past, Transforming the Future

SAVE THE DATE: Friday 15 March 2019 
RAF Museum, London

Come along to our centenary conference to boost your Continued Professional Development and help us celebrate 100 years as a leading registered membership organisation supporting women in engineering.

We will be reflecting on our rich heritage, sharing the stories of some amazing pioneers - the RAF Museum is the perfect venue for this! We will take stock of our current position as we showcase some of the best talent this industry has to offer. We need you to join the debate about how we can face the challenges for the next 100 years and be part of the solution to transform our future.

Confirmed Speakers include:
*      Mandy Hickson, Ex-fighter pilot, RAF and motivational speaker
*      Rachel Higham, Managing Director of IT , British Telecom
*       Air Vice-Marshall Sue Gray, Air Officer Commanding No 38 Group, Royal Air Force
*       Emma Howard-Boyd, Chair, Environment Agency & Steering Committee Member, 30% Club

Call out for WES Centenary Conference Posters

As part of the Centenary Conference WES are looking for Early Career Engineers to present their work on the theme of Transforming the Future to a multidisciplinary audience. There will be two WES Centenary Conference Poster Prizes awarded at the event, one decided by a panel of judges and the other for the audience favourite.
Presenters should be WES members and Early Career professionals (of any age). 
Please note: This poster session is open to all genders. Applications will close at midnight on Thursday 31 January 2019. To submit your abstract for consideration
click here.

Full programme and booking will open in early December
WES Members Centenary Lunch
London, Sunday 23 June

The WES Members Centenary Lunch celebration will be at Ognisko, in Kensington, London on 23 June 2019. This lunchtime event will be held on the actual day of the WES centenary and will be an excellent way to celebrate 100 years of WES. If you are interested in attending this lunch, please let Dawn Bonfield know on  dawnbonfield@btinternet.com .
WES 'EngTech Ready' Apprentice Conference 2018

On Saturday 20 October 2018 WES delivered the very first conference designed specifically for women engineering apprentices. The day was hosted by EEF at its Technology Hub in Birmingham and made possible by funding from the Arconic Foundation. 

This pilot programme attracted attendees from a very diverse range of sectors across the WES network and beyond, with companies such as BAE Systems, Siemens, Astra Zeneca and Arcadis represented. Owing to demand and the great success of this first venture, WES is now looking to produce a second event of this kind in 2019. For more about the conference have a look at the WES website.
Ursula Heng appointed on Strategic Team for EPSRC

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's primary agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. It focuses on championing and supporting projects in key sectors of importance to the UK economy that require vital Engineering and Physical sciences research.  WES Trustee, Ursula Heng, will join the Capital Infrastructure Advisory Team - and is looking forward to making a contribution in this field as well as helping to continue forge and promote diversity with WES.
WES London Cluster

Shared Parental leave - what's to be improved?
In a survey carried out by WES in 2014 it was found that of the women participating in the survey, 28% of women had left STEM after maternity breaks. Some of the barriers they reported which prevented their return to STEM careers included financial (cost of childcare) and lack of flexibility in the workplace. If maternity is a natural part of life, why is it still a barrier? Read the article here

CHAIN London
CHAIN London is an inter-institutional event which engages, informs and inspires early career engineers. It also looks to showcase a number of institutions, their roles and benefits. WES Member Nausheen Basha represented WES at the event in early October and was pleased to see 'a number of curious young engineers visiting the WES stall.'
WES Young Members' Board 

New University Groups Board


The UGB had an exciting start of the year with ice breakers and quiz socials, many of which involved pizza! SwanseaWES held a 'Female Voices in Engineering and Afternoon Tea' for the new freshers where they got to know more about the support available and the work that WES does. The University of Hertfordshire WES and Engineering Society had a great turnout to their Hidden Figures movie screening. WESBath organised a debate on the implementation of quotas in STEM courses and started a series of #TuesdayTips on Facebook. WES Loughborough has been busy with lots happening including their annual Women in Engineering Careers Fair, their Lottie tour adventures and Caterpillar insights day. Glasgow's FemEng also hosted numerous events including three networking events and launched their new mentoring scheme that connects younger students with older students.

#LottieTour18

Over 150 engineers, female and male from all over the world, have been involved in taking photos using Lottie Dolls borrowed from WES
The project was organised by WES YMB members Kate Mactear and Jo Douglas-Harris. Kate said, "It's been great organising the Lottie Tour this year with Jo. We've had a huge response from volunteers keen to get involved with what we all believe is a fantastic project. We think the Lottie Tour is a great way to show young girls and boys that an engineer isn't just the person who fixes your car or the builders on a building site, it's so much more!"
Have a look at the WES website to find out more about what happened for this year's #LottieTour.
JobsWES Jobs

Vacancies
General
(deadline dates given below)
Academic
Returners Schemes
TiredTired Engineer in Training
Tired Engineer in Training, Eleanor Yong, shares the drawings that she started to help break up the monotony of studying/revising.
Eleanor Yong Not Today
Eleanor Yong One of my good friends and I sat on the swings and discussed the opportunities that girls don't get at school. For some reason the conversation went like this...


Events Upcoming Events
The WES website events listing includes events from across the country of interest to women engineers.  View it here.
news More News
Visiting Teaching Engineers Scheme
 
The Visiting Teaching Engineers (VTE) scheme brings professional female engineers or technicians into FE colleges to enrich learning experiences and to create role models for those studying STEM subjects, especially women, encouraging them to pursue careers as professional engineers/technicians.

If your college is interested in applying please have a look here for more details and to make an application.
IET Schools Liaison Officer Opportunity

The IET is looking for enthusiastic members to volunteer as Schools Liaison Officers, and help introduce young people to the exciting world of engineering. The amount of time volunteered is up to you and how much time you can offer.  No experience or special qualifications are required. Interested members should have good communication skills and an active interest in the development of young people of all ages and abilities. 

For more information please contact the IET on ieteducation@theiet.org.
MSc in Leadership and Management

The MSc in Leadership and Management at the National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) is open for applications for January 2019. This part time course can be funded from the apprenticeship levy so there are no tuition fees to pay. 

The course has been designed specifically to meet the needs of business and to develop future leaders. 

Further information is available on the NSIRC website.

2019  everywoman in Tech Forum: The Power of Diversity

The fifth annual everywoman in Tech Forum: Energising Tomorrow's World takes place in March.  Speakers will include female and male role models who innovate, challenge and embrace technology, and will share their own personal experiences and career journeys

The event is attended by women and men working in tech across industry sectors so offers a great networking opportunity. WES members are able to access a 10% discount using the code DP10.

For more details and to book please go here.
The National Engineering Competition for Girls

The National Engineering Competition for Girls are looking for judges and mentors for the 2019 competition. The competition invites girls to solve major challenges of the 21st century, showing how engineering makes a difference to people and to the planet. 

Entering the competition gives the students an opportunity to get creative, get thinking and most importantly to have fun! If you are interested in getting involved please have a look at the Talent 2030 website here.
Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme (GEEP)


In partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme (GEEP) has been running for the past three years. The GEEP aims to increase diversity and inclusion across the engineering profession with the vision to create an inclusive profession that inspires, attracts and retains people from diverse backgrounds and reflects UK society.

The two day events are free for students to attend and are designed to give participants a good insight into the engineering industry and equip them with the necessary skills to tackle the application process for a role within engineering. 

Information on how to apply can be found here
WindAid Peru Volunteer Programme Opportunity

WindAid is a non-profit organisation focused on building wind turbines to provide clean and renewable energy solutions to some of the seven million Peruvians living without grid electricity. They are currently recruiting for their WindAid programme. This volunteer programme offers an opportunity to learn about design, construction, and installation of a wind turbine and see its direct impact on rural families and communities. 
For more information about the programme have a look at the  website .
Partner WES Partners news

We would like to thank all our Partners for their continuing support of WES. To see the list of partners that support WES please visit the website 
here.

To discuss WES partnerships please contact us on corporates@wes.org.uk.  

Have you read the WES Journal - The Woman Engineer?
All issues of the WES journal are available here. Become a member and get your own copy delivered to your door.
 

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