Renishaw celebrated International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) with a comprehensive programme of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) engagement activities. In line with this year’s theme “Together We Engineer,” the company showcased how women in engineering are helping to shape the future and transform lives.
The global engineering technology group hosted multiple STEM events at its Miskin manufacturing site in South Wales, with 120 students from the local area in attendance. The week started with a Product Design Engineering Taster Day for female students from Llantwit Major School at Renishaw’s STEM Centre.
Jasmin Gale, a Renishaw Apprentice, started the day by sharing her journey into engineering. This was followed by a hands-on workshop inspired by Renishaw’s Product Innovation Process. During the workshop, students collaborated on design tasks, which helped them develop crucial soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving. The first day concluded with an in-depth tour of the manufacturing facility.
“[The event provided] an excellent insight into the opportunities at Renishaw and where they might fit into the company,” said a Teacher from Llantwit Major School. A student from the same school added, “Today was a wonderful experience and it really opened up my mind to engineering and the different aspects of it.”
The week also saw the Miskin STEM outreach team visit Llanharan Primary School and Glyn-Gaer Primary School, with the team delivering sessions designed to introduce younger students to Renishaw.
Concluding the week’s activities, the STEM outreach team hosted a virtual assembly with Penyrenglyn Primary School. During the session, students took part in a quiz on Women in Engineering and watched ‘day in the life’ videos featuring Renishaw’s Gaby Harper and Rhys O’Shea. Harper went on to host a live webinar answering students’ questions.
“Only 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce are women. Renishaw seeks to increase this number by proactively engaging with our women engineers of the future,” said Laura Penney, STEM Outreach Officer at Renishaw. “Our week of events helped demystify what it's like to be a woman working in engineering – from finding out what a typical day in their life might look like to the opportunity to ask them questions. We are lucky to have strong female role models at Renishaw who want to inspire the next generation to take on any role they want.”
