Women make up just 10 per cent of the engineering workforce in Australia, according to Engineers Australia. The Women in Engineering Society at the University of Wollongong is working to bridge that gap. Society President Kate Menzies and Vice President Jessica Davis were a driving force behind the the Women in Engineering Summit held at UOW earlier this month.
The society aims to foster a supportive environment for those enrolled in engineering at UOW and to change the way all young women think about engineering. Ms Menzies said the society was particularly focused on high school students. She said the society was passionate about rebranding the degree to explore the wide range of career possibilities open to an engineer. Ms Menzies and Ms Davis are working on developing a female-focused education program to take into high schools across the Illawarra. They hope to highlight the opportunities available to women in engineering.