Analysis

Engineering Careers for Women: A World of Opportunity

Tiffany Chan, associate director for tunnelling, Atkins Hong Kong

Inspirational women from Atkins are working on some of the world’s most exciting projects from tunnels in Hong Kong to master planning in Oman, and they hope that their experiences will encourage more young women to consider a career in engineering.

Celebrating National Women in Engineering Day, professionals from Atkins describe their exciting and fullfilling roles. “The best thing about working in this industry is the variety, every project has different issues and stakeholders, it’s always exciting, ” says Dalal Darwish, social development consultant in Oman for Atkins in the Middle East. A biology graduate, Dalal joined Atkins in 2008.

“I really wanted to join Atkins because of its reputation and its international span. I wanted to work on bigger projects and here my opportunities are broad,” she says explaining that she has been able to work with teams on projects across the Middle East.

“In Oman engineering is very impressive. I didn’t have much experience in the sector before joining but now I am blessed because I have found my niche."

Dalal Darwish, social development consultant, Atkins

One of the challenges for consultants in Oman and other Middle Eastern countries is to draw women engineers into the private sector. Traditionally public bodies have been the key employers and although salaries tend to be lower the hours are shorter which can be a benefit in terms of achieving a happy work-life balance. But Dalal says that the benefits of working for Atkins far outweigh this.

“Atkins has been very flexible and I’d like to encourage other ladies to come into the sector. I have learned a lot and I would say that people in the public sector haven’t had the same opportunities and exposure to projects."

Another Atkins’ engineer to benefit from the flexible working policies is Tiffany Chan, associate director for tunnelling at Atkins in Hong Kong. “I joined Atkins after graduation and I have stayed here for 15 years!” she says explaining that the incredible breadth of projects, challenging work, the team environment and flexibility on offer are all behind her decision to remain with the company.  

This year Tiffany will take a second maternity break. “In Hong Kong maternity leave depends on your company and Atkins is very good with this."“Dealing with the underground space is different every time, anything can happen,” she says.

To read more from other female engineers around the world including Terry Suehr, technical director for civil engineering at Atkins in North America, the award winning managing director for Atkins in Denmark Eva Rindom, and UK highways and drainage engineer Olivia Plunkett see the full article on Atkins Angles

Today Tiffany’s work varies between leading the design team for a range of tunnelling schemes and managing projects. From working with some of the world’s largest tunnel boring machines at 17m in diameter to blasting into the rock of Hong Kong to create new transport corridors, Tiffany finds herself with an array of technical problems to solve.

As a student who chose engineering because she loved maths and physics and wanted to do something practical to benefit daily life, there could not be a more fulfilling role.

However, being a female engineer in tunnelling is not without its challenges including a historic superstition that women in tunnels bring bad luck. Ten years ago Tiffany encountered a situation where a contractor asked her to remain outside a tunnel as male engineers went inside.

Fortunately she says that attitudes have changed a lot since then, helped by engineering societies in Hong Kong who have been promoting the image of the industry in society. “There are more women coming into the industry. Recently when we interviewed graduates this year we found more females and when you ask about course numbers there are 30 or 40 percent female students, compared to 10 percent when I was at University.

This trend is also being seen in the UK with rising numbers of female graduates joining Atkins. In fact 25 percent of graduates in the 2014 intake were women, an increase on 2013, and early estimates suggest that figures for 2015 will be significantly higher again.

 “Dealing with the underground space is different every time, anything can happen,” Tiffany Chan, associate director, tunnelling, Atkins in Hong Kong

This compares to figures from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) that show that only 6 percent of the UK’s engineering workforce is female. The IET also says that despite calls from government to raise this 43 percent of companies are failing to take specific action to improve diversity.

In a recent debate in the House of Lords however, Atkins was recognised for its positive action by Baroness Wall of New Barnet who pointed to a range of measures at the firm including support for women returning to work following maternity or carers leave, the women’s professional network and the women’s leadership council which guide women and act as role models and mentors.

Lesley Waud is a civil engineer and market director for strategic highways in Atkins’ UK transportation business. She says that measures such as this are improving the retention rate of women in the industry, something that is much needed.

 “What is different today is that we are retaining women. I look at the fact that we offer term time contracts and flexible working if needed. It is a lot easier for a woman to come back to work and make it fit." Lesley Waud, market director, strategic highways, Atkins

“I work with a peer group of senior consultants on a big framework and I am the only female representative,” she says. But she expects this to change and notes that there are many capable female technical experts rising up through the business.

“What is different today is that we are retaining women. I look at the fact that we offer term time contracts and flexible working if needed. It is a lot easier for a woman to come back to work and make it fit."

Lesley notes that one of the issues for women at a senior level is a lack of role models –she has only ever had one female boss. But as retention rises this will improve and Lesley is proactive about promoting the profession taking time to visit schools and share her experiences.

  • To read more from other female engineers around the world including Terry Suehr, technical director for civil engineering at Atkins in North America, the award winning managing director for Atkins in Denmark Eva Rindom, and UK highways and drainage engineer Olivia Plunkett see the full article on Atkins Angles
If you would like to contact Bernadette Ballantyne about this, or any other story, please email bernadette.ballantyne@infrastructure-intelligence.com:2016-1.

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