Sunday 23 June will mark 2019’s International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED19), when participants will be encouraged to show the world how they are ‘transforming the future’ in pursuit of more diversity in engineering. This global awareness campaign, coordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), aims to increase the profile of women in engineering worldwide and focus attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in engineering and related industries.
In 2019, WES’ own centenary year, INWED will aim to inspire even greater participation across the globe, both online and through physical activities, by individuals, schools, colleges, groups and organisations.
The theme will be supported by the hashtags #INWED19 and #TransformTheFuture.
This year during our sixth INWED, and celebrating the 100-year milestone for WES, we hope you will join us in recognising the outstanding achievements of women engineers throughout the world.
Another important part of the INWED celebrations is the annual ‘Top 50 Women in Engineering’ (WE50) awards, made possible through a partnership between the Women’s Engineering Society and The Telegraph. The winners of these coveted places will be announced to coincide with INWED19 celebrations. This year’s focus of excellence will be revealed on 8 March 2019, International Women’s Day.
There are several early sponsors on board for INWED 2019, including; Boeing, Cranfield University, GCHQ, Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM), Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, NSIRC, OPITO & Royal Academy of Engineering. INWED can only continue to flourish with the support of forward-thinking organisations such as these.
Dawn Childs, President of WES says of INWED19:
‘’This is the centenary year of the Women’s Engineering Society and we will be celebrating the rich history of many inspirational ladies who have made their mark in the engineering world. However, there are still far too few women who even understand what engineering is let alone choose to become an engineer. International Women in Engineering Day is therefore so important to raise the profile and awareness of the fabulous opportunities that a career in engineering can bring.
This year it is more pertinent than ever because our theme is #TransformTheFuture and so many forms of engineering do exactly that. So not only do we want to transform the future for girls and women by encouraging them to start a career in engineering or supporting them to excel and thrive in their current engineering career, but we will of course also be transforming the future of so much more with the engineering that they will do. So please participate in events or initiatives with us for INWED and help us to #TransformTheFuture!’’
If you or your organisation would like to participate in INWED19 celebrations, visit the INWED website www.inwed.org.uk and contact inwed@wes.org.uk for more information.