GirlsGetSET

GE Oil & Gas expands program to introduce females to engineering

Expanding on its program designed to close the gender gap between students choosing studies in science, engineering, and technology (SET), energy services company, GE Oil & Gas, has launched its GirlsGetSET initiative in the North East of Scotland. A five-year program, GirlsGetSET targets female students aged 9-13 in an effort to raise awareness of the wide range of opportunities available through pursuing a career in the fields of science, engineering and technology.

With women making up just 6% of the engineering workforce in the UK and only 5.3% of females involved in SET-related roles, the initiative started in Cheltenham as the brainchild of engineering graduates from GE's Aviation business. As part of the program, students are given the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun and challenging activities, from day-long events and mini teamwork-based projects, to a year-long engineering project. In addition to introducing students to various career opportunities, GirlsGetSET offers CV workshops, mock interviews, and career talks from GE employees showcasing various career paths and experiences.

In 2011, the program partnered with other GE Aviation sites in Gloucester and Cardiff and GE Oil & Gas in Groby in an effort to reach more students and offer insight into different industries and careers. The program has launched in Coventry, and now, Aberdeen.

GE employees introduce engineering concepts to local students. Photo courtesy of GE Oil & Gas

Kimberley Kirkham, the initiative's co-founder, introduced the program to GE Oil & Gas' Subsea Systems business when she joined its global operations team in Aberdeen. She said: "My dad is a structural engineer and was pretty instrumental in encouraging my interest in the field. He spent some time as a university lecturer when I was younger and used to bring cool experiments home for my brother and me to play with. I never realized there was an engineering stereotype until I went to university and was the only girl in a class of about 60.

"Until I started at GE, I didn't have any strong female role models. I think that's important, especially for young girls who haven't yet made any assumptions about who engineers are and what they do. If we can make it accessible and they can see someone who's done it before, then that helps them to identify the career possibilities and understand how to get there.

"I'm really excited that, through GE Oil & Gas, we've been able to bring this fantastic opportunity to the North East of Scotland, a key region for driving continued growth across the worldwide energy sector. Some of the pupils involved will almost certainly become the future of our industry and it's important that we invest in them now."

As part of the Aberdeen kick-off, GE invited 120 girls and teaching staff from local schools to the company's subsea headquarters in Aberdeen.

Pupils took part in a series of workshops designed to simulate some of the challenges faced by those working in the oil and gas industry. A networking event in which students met GE employees to learn more about the variety of roles available in energy sector followed.

Sharon Findlay, Global HR Leader at GE Oil & Gas Subsea Systems, said: "It is not news to us that a growing economy and the heightened demand for energy worldwide is increasing the need for more engineers. Partnerships between the energy sector and education are key to this, with GirlsGetSET demonstrating the concerted efforts being made by our organization to boost the numbers of young people entering the industry at a time when talent is one of the biggest constraints."