Initiative aims to ‘explode myth that engineering is not for women’
1 November 2013
The skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock praised a joint industry-government initiative to dispel myths about working in manufacturing, aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in the sector.
Fri, 1 Nov 2013The skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock praised a joint industry-government initiative to dispel myths about working in manufacturing, aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in the sector.
Speaking at BMW’s Mini factory in Oxford, where he met 30 women from across the UK interested in a career in the automobile industry, Hancock praised the initiative ‘See Inside Manufacturing’, which he said “gives young people the opportunity to see exactly how manufacturing works on a day to day basis, dispelling old myths about factories and inspiring the next generation of engineers”.
The joint industry BIS (Department for Business, Innovation & Skills) initiative aims to transform students’ perception of manufacturing in strategic sectors, such as the UK’s automobile industry. As part of the initiative, BMW opened its doors to secondary students at its UK manufacturing sites in Oxford, Swindon and Hams Hall near Birmingham.
The visits gave students a chance to learn about the industry and what engineering is all about. They also gained first-hand experience from women from across the business.
Simon Farrall, head of apprentice and associate training for BMW Group UK, said: “We hope that these young women will see the huge range of opportunities on offer. We want to explode the myth that engineering is not for women.”
A BMW spokesperson tells Recruiter that during 2013, the group expects 150 young people to take up apprentices in the UK.
Speaking at BMW’s Mini factory in Oxford, where he met 30 women from across the UK interested in a career in the automobile industry, Hancock praised the initiative ‘See Inside Manufacturing’, which he said “gives young people the opportunity to see exactly how manufacturing works on a day to day basis, dispelling old myths about factories and inspiring the next generation of engineers”.
The joint industry BIS (Department for Business, Innovation & Skills) initiative aims to transform students’ perception of manufacturing in strategic sectors, such as the UK’s automobile industry. As part of the initiative, BMW opened its doors to secondary students at its UK manufacturing sites in Oxford, Swindon and Hams Hall near Birmingham.
The visits gave students a chance to learn about the industry and what engineering is all about. They also gained first-hand experience from women from across the business.
Simon Farrall, head of apprentice and associate training for BMW Group UK, said: “We hope that these young women will see the huge range of opportunities on offer. We want to explode the myth that engineering is not for women.”
A BMW spokesperson tells Recruiter that during 2013, the group expects 150 young people to take up apprentices in the UK.
