Helicopter manufacturer Leonardo has achieved an equal gender balance in its engineering graduate intake at its Yeovil plant for the first time
The aerospace engineering company stressed it is committed to increasing gender diversity at its business. The company believes better innovation can be achieved when different perspectives are involved in the creation of its technology.
Jasmine Strak, graduate and industrial placement training manager at the Yeovil site, said: “We were delighted when we realised we’d achieved an equal gender balance, but we know we still have a long way to go to create sustained change.”
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The company has a national target of achieving a 70:30 gender split by 2025. Currently, women are underrepresented in engineering and the defence industry, which is something Leonardo is actively working to change.
The company is a member of the 30% Club, a global campaign that aims to create a better gender balance at all levels of organisations.
Leonardo also participates in a STEM Returners scheme which seeks to encourage experienced female engineers to re-enter the industry. In addition, it runs an internal Equalise network, where Leonardo employees can discuss and explore gender issues.
Leonardo’s STEM ambassadors support regular STEM activities, including Cool Aeronautics, AeroWomen21 and International Women in Engineering Day STEM initiatives, in a bid to inspire the next generation of female engineers.
Engineering graduate Alannah Brannagan-Fuller visited Leonardo in Yeovil in Year 10 when she was aged 14, while she was attending Stanchester Academy (formerly Stanchester Community School) in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset.
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She still remembers the graduates she met who showed her around the business and explained what engineering involved. She said: “The experience sat at the back of my mind, then years later after studying medicine for a year, I decided I needed to change my career path. My positive memories of engineering led me to study aerospace engineering at the University of Manchester.
“On the course, there were only about 10% women, but I have never felt that gender was a barrier to entering engineering. I like the fact that I can go on rotation and see more of the business, rather than having direct entry into one position where you might get stuck. You get to do a bit of everything in an aerospace environment and best of all, you get to make stuff fly.”
Ms Brannagan-Fuller worked at Leonardo during several summers as a temporary worker in customer support and tTraining while she was studying at the University of Manchester, building on her experience in an engineering environment.
However, while she felt no gender barrier to start a career in engineering, some female graduates have had experiences of having “imposter syndrome”, where they have felt that they needed to prove their worth and credibility as engineers.
Prior to attending university, industrial placement undergraduate Rosie Leishman had no concerns about gender disparity, however after starting her studies, things changed.
She said: “When I first went to university I felt the effects of ‘imposter syndrome’, believing I was not smart enough to be in aeronautical engineering. I know that a lot of my friends felt that way too.
“As soon as I got to university, I was one of 10 or 11 girls in my department in aeronautical and automotive engineering out of 140 people, so going through university there were fewer women in engineering.
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“I remember I was involved in a team designing an aircraft and it felt like my ideas were not taken on board in the same way, but it can be very subtle.
“Since joining Leonardo, I have had the opportunity to attend forums like AeroWomen21 where you have a safe space to talk to others and it is ok to say ‘I struggle sometimes with this’.”
It is not just female engineers who experience “imposter syndrome”, this can affect their male counterparts too. Engineering graduate Patrick Oliphant studied aeromechanical engineering at Strathclyde University in Scotland. He said: “I experienced ‘imposter syndrome’ for the majority of my education. You are studying with some very smart people, you tend to compare your grades, and that sense of comparing yourself to others can intensify, especially as the level of education gets higher.
“I would say there are some things that sadly women do experience like the lower gender representation within industry; however, there are some things men experience too. For instance, I think that men can suffer from mental health issues, but don’t feel they are able to open up due to social stereotypes.”
Louise Dale leads Leonardo’s Equalise network that encourages employees to share their experiences of gender issues. She thinks that all genders need to feel supported, so they feel empowered in the workplace.
She said: “Gender issues are people issues. Breaking down barriers and stereotypes is key for gender equality. Having role models in your chosen field is important and it can be difficult to be confident and believe in your abilities.
“One of our main focuses is on improving people’s confidence and self-belief, to allow people of all genders to control their ‘imposter syndrome’ feelings and strive to be the best version of themselves.”
When she was a young student at school, Temitayo Adedipe, engineering graduate, hoped her friend might join her in selecting an engineering GCSE as one of her options, but her friend refused saying “engineering is for boys”.
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Ms Adedipe was the only female student whose hand went up to volunteer for the activity, but it made her feel even more determined to pursue STEM activities, which has led to a flourishing career in engineering.
Her fellow engineering graduate Macaulay Dale is hopeful that attitudes are changing. He said: “From my personal experience, I found a lot of women who studied engineering or physics would end up in teaching jobs, while male students would tend to go into industry. Even at school, I remember most of the STEM teachers being women. We are on a graduate scheme that has a 50:50 split so I think positive change is happening, but we need to continue to make sure that women are made to feel that they belong in industry and that there are loads of career opportunities waiting for them.”
Leonardo’s applications for its early careers vacancies are now open. Find information .