The 8th March is marked by International Women’s Day (IWD), which aims to highlight the women’s rights movement. In 2024 the official theme “Let’s inspire inclusion” focuses on the role that women have to inspire others to break the glass ceiling in different areas. That’s why to mark IWD 2024, LCAMP-ers are sharing an overview of their initiatives to foster women’s integration into Advanced Manufacturing fields, and other occupations, sectors and VET studies that are typically male-dominated.
According to the data available, Eurostat reported in 2022 that even if more women joined the science and engineering ranks, women would be underrepresented in the manufacturing sector (where only 22% of scientists and engineers were female). Furthermore, the latest insights from the ILO database Worker and Sector Profiles show that certain high-risk occupations, like locomotive engine driving, heavy machinery operations, and ship deck crews, lack female representation. The same can be said of many other plant and machine operators, trades workers and labourers. The ILO database shows that “for example, women represent only around 10 per cent of civil engineers and software developers. The information and communication technology (ICT) sector still has less than a quarter of women and the gender wage gap is often high in this sector.”
LCAMPERS recognise the issues and have room for improvement. In this context, what are VET and Competence Centers doing to inspire and attract more women to Advanced Manufacturing careers and to tackle gender disparities?
Curt Nicolin Gymnasiet (Sweden)
The Curt Nicolin Gymnasiet have several projects to recruit women both to their industrial program in their school and also to introduce the possibilities to female learners.
- Girlsnight: an evening when CNG invite girls in their last year of elementary school for a fun evening together with the girls in CNG school and the teachers. The objective is to show the industrial and electrical program options/
- Glow (Siemens Energy project): Siemens Energy is the biggest stockowner of CNG. The company runs a women’s network called Glow, which serves as inspiration for CNG female students to the branch of the industry sector and advance manufacturing.
- Women Engineering Day: in cooperation with several companies, the project aims to inspire women to choose a career path within engineering, technical and industrial.
Miguel Altuna (Basque Country) – Somos las FP (We are the VET. Future professionals)
Miguela Altuna (VET Center specialised in the Advanced Manufacturing sector) is running and participating in several projects and campaigns to attract more women to Advanced Manufacturing studies. Among those there is one that goes over the top: “We are the VET. Future professionals” (“Somos las FP. Futuras profesionales)”, emphasising in Spanish words VET and Future in the female version.)
The project is launched and financed by the Basque Country Government through the EU Next Generation Funds and gathers public VET Centers from Gipuzkoa and Navarre.
It aims to attract more young women to industrial training courses by making them tell their own stories and their reasons for pursuing a degree in the Advanced Manufacturing field. In this context, the partners are gathering data on what they think, what concerns them, and why there is less choice for technical-industrial vocational training.
So far, 3.300 students have participated in the survey (still ongoing). The data revealed that 42.8% of the female students of STEAM studies believe that “workplaces where men are in the majority – such as those leading STEAM qualifications – are not prepared for women to go to work.”
Meet the We are the VET, Future Professionals, young women people like you who decided to break some stereotypes and choose a Technical-Industrial Vocational Training, STEAM profession.
Mécanic Vallée (MV) and CMQE Industrie du futur (France)
- ‘Elles bougent”: This is a network of female mentors from industrial companies who take part in events for young girls. The sponsors talk about their educational and professional careers. They try to inspire girls to take up careers in industry. There is also a lot of work being done to tackle gender stereotypes against women in the industry. At the end of the presentation, there is time for discussion with the young people. For example: The rector of the Toulouse education authority, participated in an “Elles Bougent” event. https://cmqindustriedufutur.com/2024/01/08/article-la-depeche-du-midi-du-22-12-23-decazeville-le-campus-des-metiers-mis-a-lhonneur-au-niveau-regional/
- Week of discovery of industrial trades and training in Hamburg: The CMQ, in collaboration with MV and the Occitanie Region set up this project. The project aims to introduce young people to the world of industry, with a focus on women in the sector. 13 young people, most of them girls, visited various companies and training centres in Hamburg. During this project, partners highlighted women in the industry thanks to the sponsorship of 5 mentors who followed young people throughout the project, and by focusing our discussions with the companies and training centres on the place of women in the industry.
Preparing for the future: Tehniški šolski Center Maribor (Slovenia) and GEBKIM OIZ and VET (Kocaeli, Türkiye)
Tehniški šolski Center Maribor (TSCM) shared data from the Higher Vocational School (EQF5) for the study program Mechanical Engineering: Of the mechanical engineering students, only 7.4% are women. Though this figure increases per year, there is still a small percentage as this study pattern is seen as male-oriented. Further information on what this career path can offer women needs to be developed.
In the case of LCAMP Turkish partners, GEBKIM OIZ / GEBKIM VET (GEBKIM VET is the vocational high school), the aim at offer students a decent and contemporary education along with breaking gender stereotypes and bring female students into employment (especially in companies within our own OIZ) which is rather not welcome in traditional, patriarchal family structure. GEBKIM VET is involved in other Erasmus+ activities too, which is a huge chance for self-development and gaining vision for our students’ families with low economic income.
Although it is a vocational and technical school in a disadvantageous area, there are more female students than males and also, the number of female students that have graduated from GEBKIM VET and are working in a company within GEBKIM OIZ now is significantly larger than that of male students. Since their VET offers two programs, namely chemistry and automation, their graduates can work in a wide array of different sectors that are related to both industrial and digital professions.
A more equitable future for the Advanced Manufacturing
There is progress thanks to these initiatives but also remaining challenges. LCAMP will continue to support these initiatives to build a more equitable future within the Advanced Manufacturing sector and to close the gender gap.
