More girls participate in engineering training

A The TTE Technical Training Group product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 19, 2004

TTE Management and Technical Training has reported a growing trend in the number of girls in engineering.

TTE Management and Technical Training has reported a growing trend in the number of girls in engineering.

Following a campaign in schools across the Tees Valley by the Teesside-based training company launched last year to encourage girls to consider careers in engineering, the number of girls now participating in engineering apprenticeships with TTE has increased.

TTE said it sees that is seen as the first step towards influencing the overall numbers of females throughout the industry.

The report by TTE also illustrates that the rise in female apprenticeships is synonymous across the various engineering disciplines.

Among the current intake of female apprentices, there are three participating in mechanical engineering, four young scientists, one laboratory technician, one Centrica-sponsored apprentice and one female sponsored through the National Apprenticeship Scheme for Engineering Construction, who will become an electrician in the construction industry on completion of her training.

With over 12 years' experience as a technical training company, the TTE Management and Technical Training Group has trained young people for careers in engineering and chemical process.

One of the principal objectives of the group is to provide training that places a lot of emphasis on achieving a balance between academic and personal development, where young people are seen as making a valuable contribution to business performance.

Every year the organisation said it delivers hundreds of highly skilled, motivated and well trained industry-ready young people to companies across the globe.

Keith Hunter, managing director of TTE, said: "Over the last year, TTE has worked very hard with schools across the region to promote engineering as a career option to female students.

Whilst continuing to address the skills gaps that remain in industry, it is also extremely important to ensure that every young person is given an equal opportunity to explore an exciting career in engineering.

There is still a very long way to go before these gender-related issues in the engineering industry are both fully acknowledged and addressed.

However, we also recognise how influential we can be by tackling this at grass-roots level.

The current intake of female apprentices is indicative of the success of our hard work through the TTE Schools' Campaign and we expect this upward trend in the number of female apprentices to continue." He went on to say that TTE has found that its alternative to the traditional education is very successful, offering young people a structured career path and essential experience of a working environment throughout their training.

"With many international organisations now sponsoring our students through their training, engineering apprentices are fast becoming a popular and more lucrative, alternative to higher education including university," added Hunter.