Women in Engineering Day 2024

Taking place annually on the 23rd of June, the world acknowledges International Women in Engineering Day (IWED), and this year is no different. This day provides an opportunity to celebrate the women working in engineering as well as highlighting the opportunities available to future generations. At Parvalux, we very much value all of the women who work here, with over 30% of our workforce female, and actively encourage more women to apply to join the team working with local schools and in the community to raise the profile of STEM careers. According to Engineering UK, there has been a general downturn in women working within the engineering and tech industries, dropping from 16.5% in 2022 to 15.7% in 2023. A drop in real terms of 38,000 women leaving the industry. This figure is concerning as we know how valuable women are to the Parvalux team and therefore to engineering in general. Our Senior Project Manager, Dominika Dingova, Change Management Officer, Sharayu Kadam, Sample Pack Production, Jean Lancing, Sample Pack Conversion, Karolina Zielinska and Change Management Administrator, Biljana Mihalijev are integral members of the team, and we would be lost without them. Entering the Engineering Industry

Many of the women who work at Parvalux have engineering in their blood, a natural curiosity and a need to know how things work. For example, Dominika Dingova was led down the engineering route by her family: “Both of my parents work and have always worked in the engineering industry and therefore I was exposed to it at an early age. I was always intrigued and had a lot of questions. After completing my studies in a grammar school, a natural path for me was to pursue engineering in university, specifically on Industrial Management as I found the management side of it best suits my character.” Jean Lancing on the other hand was led into engineering by her love of “learning and working through challenging problems. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills I use every day and I’ve always enjoyed building things.” A curious child, Sharayu Kadam was “fascinated by the stuff under the bonnet of the car. That led me to dive deeper into the engineering world and hence, I decided to pursue mechanical engineering.” Even if you’ve never considered the engineering industry before as a career path, you may have the skills required to s쳮d within the industry. When we asked the female team what characteristics were key, this was their top ten:

1. Problem-solving skills
2. Communication skills
3. Attention to detail
4. Adaptability
5. Continuous learning
6. Logical thinking
7. Being innovative
8. Curiosity
9. Collaborative
10. Creativity

Overcoming Challenges Parvalux very much reflects the engineering industry as a whole, and it remains male-dominated, even though we have done a lot of work to make it a more inviting place for women. Inevitably in a male-dominated industry, there are challenges and even prejudices which the women embarking on these careers face on a day-to-day basis. Sharayu explains some challenges she has faced: “One of the hardest challenges was to carve a niche for myself in a male-dominated industry. The lack of mentorship and a female leadership model … [as well as a] … lack of workplace flexibility and facilities for women was another challenge as the workplace policies were made in respect to the males in the industry.” This is echoed by Dominika who also stated there is a “lack of support and mentorship for women in engineering. It is great to see that Parvalux advocates and provides support in different forms such as coaching or training courses.” There are no secrets to overcoming these challenges and Dominika puts her success down to her “professionalism and hard work”, whereas Karolina, believes she s쳮ded due to support from “family and friends.” Sharayu found communication was the answer for her and said: “One of the common solutions to overcoming those challenges was through building up my confidence and improving my communication skills.” Improvements in Engineering

Slowly the engineering industry is becoming a more inviting place for women to work and as a result will attract more applicants. Dominika praises how engineering is now promoted to girls in school: “This has resulted in greater interest in participation in engineering-based jobs for women. However, further efforts are needed to actively involve women in engineering, given that the field remains predominantly male.” Sharayu adds: “The industry has recognized the potential of women and hence promotion works more on merit than gender basis.” She also believes there have been positive changes within the working environment: “Neutralizing the gender issue in the workplace is another reason for the cultural change in the engineering world. The policies at the workplace have been designed to solve women’s issues which they used to face previously.” Additionally, Jean believes the role of women, in general has been re-evaluated, and careers are no longer viewed as a means of getting ‘pocket money’. “The role of women in today’s world has changed significantly and for the better. Women are now self-sufficient, well aware and financially independent.” Parvalux hopes to be instrumental in this changing attitude towards women within the engineering workspace. We are working hard to remove the stigma for women if they choose to work within what is still a male-dominated industry. Currently our workforce is 30% female, and we are actively encouraging more women into the company and industry. Since moving into our new premises, we regularly invite local schools to tour the factory including Parkstone Grammar School in order to give the pupils some real-time experience on what a working factory is like and the opportunities available to them. We are also providing information on the best routes into the engineering industry from school in an attempt to remove any potential barriers to application. Rewarding Career Despite the challenges faced by women in the engineering industry, they have all overcome them in order to reap the rewards. And they would all agree that working at Parvalux and in the engineering sphere is incredibly rewarding. Personal growth is an important aspect of the role for Jean who said: “It has given me the opportunity to learn and grow. I am the type of person who loves challenges and I value learning opportunities. When I overcome challenges, it gives me a sense of fulfillment and that’s when I know I am growing, developing and becoming a better version of myself.” Dominika is also pleased with the opportunities presented from which she can learn and develop: “Personally, the most rewarding aspect of my engineering career is working alongside very knowledgeable people that I can learn from. Participating in a variety of courses has helped me expand my skills and knowledge.” Here at Parvalux, we are always looking to grow our team as well as to promote equality and diversity. Whether you are new to engineering, are considering returning to the industry or simply looking for your next role why not head over to our careers page or get in touch today.