National Women in Engineering Day attempts to set world record

After the success of last year's NWED, where over 250 resource packs were distributed to schools across the UK and over 100 organisations held events in aid of NWED, WES have received an overwhelming response for this year's NWED. Over 750 resource packs have been distributed to schools, universities and organisations across the country. Approximately 400 schools and colleges across the country are expected to take part in NWED celebrations this year with over 100 events listed on the NWED website. The organisations hosting the events include universities, schools, engineering societies and multinational organisations, such as Ford Motor Company, Amec Foster Wheeler, Qinetiq, Atkins, DECC, BT, Pepsi, Selex ES, Dyson, Arup, DuPont, BP, Siemens, BAE Systems, TFL, Crossrail and many more.

Among the events, will be a Guinness World Record which aims to gathering of women engineers.This year NWED has also gained interest on an international level with events happening all over the world to celebrate achievements of women engineers on a global level. For example, the Institution of Engineering and Technology in Kuwait are hosting a conference on NWED with talks from guest speakers, networking activities and awards.

Dawn Bonfield, Founder of National Women in Engineering Day and President of the Women's Engineering Society said “We were absolutely amazed by the enthusiasm for NWED last year, but this year the day has grown even more and we have seen an enormous number of organisations getting involved with the celebrations. This really is testament to the change in perception of women in engineering, and we need to do all we can now to maintain this activity throughout the year to ensure that girls see engineering as a real career choice for them.”