Engineers have a vital impact on our everyday lives – at work, in the home and during all leisure activities.

Science, engineering and construction are about generating new ideas and improving old ones, designing things, problem-solving and manufacturing a product or offering a service. Jobs in the industry could include anything from the design of contact lenses to the production of smudge-free mascara, the development of technologies to produce the latest mp3 players, digital cameras, mobile telephones and laptops to the invention of specialised medical equipment or new environmental preservation practises.

Science, engineering and construction offer great careers with huge scope and open the doors to many career paths. The benfits are endless. As an engineer you could be involved in worthwhile and exciting projects all over the world such as designing baby incubators, creating the special visual and sound effects you see in films, creating earthquake-proof buildings, enabling the downloading of material from the internet and designing the equipment used in developing countries to extract water to be used to drink.

Over 50% of engineering graduates are employed in professional positions, compared to less than 30% of the total population, the average engineering graduate earns 20% more than the average graduate and only 6% of engineering graduates proceed into clerical or secretarial roles in the workplace compared to 16.5% of total graduates. In addition, due to the poor knowedge and lack of career advice in the sector there are more jobs available than in most industries making it easier to find work.

New discoveries and advances in technology have changed the science and engineering industry dramatically resulting in the need for a balanced workforce if the UK is to compete internationally. A good balance of men and women from a variety of different backgrounds and cultures are needed to ensure enough expertise and creativity exist throughout the industry.

Through working with girls and women, parents, teachers, careers advisers, employers, politicians and the media, WISE aims to promote a positive image of science, engineering and construction, and has played a part in increasing the number of female engineering graduates in the UK from 7% in 1984 to 15% today. For more details on WISE projects and initiatives or to order any free literature, please contact:

The WISE Campaign,
www.wisecampaign.org.uk/