Engineers encouraged to ‘Shape the World’ for #INWED20

This month, OPITO is delighted to sponsor International Women in Engineering Day 2020 (INWED20) and its ‘Shape the World’ campaign.

The annual event, now in its seventh year, is an awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering across the globe focusing attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry.

INWED brings together engineers and their supporters from across the world; joining to raise awareness of the opportunities and achievements of women engineers. For the past four years INWED has been celebrated in many countries including Panama, Canada, Rwanda, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Pakistan.

INWED was originally established as a national celebration in Great Britain by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2015. Within a short time, the day grew in popularity and its appeal spread across the globe, and in 2016 INWED was awarded UNESCO patronage for the first time. INWED is celebrated by a diverse range of people including schools, organisations, STEM campaigners, universities and politicians. Events are collated and published on the INWED website and for 2020, OPITO joins a number of other high profile sponsors including; Boeing, Dialog Semiconductor, ECITB, GCHQ, Institute of Refrigeration, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Royal Air Force and Wiley.

Jill Glennie, Director, External Affairs OPITO commented:

“Women are an essential force in the energy industry. For more than 20 years, OPITO has managed one of the UK’s largest industry-led apprenticeship programmes, OGTAP. Promoting a more inclusive and diverse industry is a priority as we support the energy transition. OPITO is helping shape the world by developing a safe and skilled energy workforce for the future, welcoming applications from all.”

Speaking of the importance of INWED, Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Engineering Society, said:

“INWED20 is an amazing campaign that recognises the careers available to women in engineering. The 2020 theme ties in with the challenges facing us in an uncertain future and invites engineers to share how they are tackling such topics as the climate emergency. We are also delighted to be celebrating the Top 50 Women in Sustainability for engineering and allied disciplines, as an inspiration to those who want to #ShapeTheWorld."

INWED can only continue to be successful through the participation of the countless people who celebrate the day and the generous organisations that sponsor it.

In the run up to ‘International Women in Engineering Day’ on June 23, help us raise the profile of women engineers and encourage more young people to become engineers. Join us across our social channels as we look back at the women engineers who have helped #ShapeTheWorldand share insights from some inspiring young female OPITO apprentices.

Read more about encouraging diversity in the energy industry in our blog post: 
Apprenticeships: An opportunity for gender diversity in the energy sector?