Greetings!
Welcome to this months newsletter.
Another busy month for WES, we are working on a new look for our website and would like your help, details are in the article below. The WES AGM is in September and all are welcome. It would be great to see you there. In the meantime don't forget you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, just click on the links below. |
| New Website for WES | |
The WES website will soon have a new look reflecting its purpose and vision and also the community it represents. The design is underway and the theme is Changing Perceptions, Driving Membership and Generating Revenue.
For the website to be successful and to get the attention of potential members including interested stakeholders such as students, academics, entrepreneurs and public bodies, we have an important task of editing and rewriting existing content to make it more suitable for web reading.
If you think you can help by editing or rewriting some of the web pages or even contributing new ideas that can be posted on the website, let us know. Related information will be provided to you and depending on the time you have to contribute you may choose to do just one webpage or more.
All contributions and feedback will be valued. Please contact W with the subject header ' WES website content ' and we shall get back to you as soon as we can.
Fareena Mahmood
Project Lead |
| Encouraging Girls Into STEM
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WES members will be aware that the number of girls studying and working in engineering continues to be worryingly low. It not only reduces the pool of talent and skills addressing key issues; half of the population experiences technical solutions they were not involved in producing. Developing technology and then putting it in a pink case is not the answer! There is one organisation taking a lead in addressing the STEM gender balance - the Engineering Development Trust. EDT is a charity, established in 1984, running schemes to inspire and motivate young people to fulfill their potential through technical careers. Each year over 7000 students take part. EDT initiatives that promote STEM to girls, include Insight , an all female Year 12 residential course for girls to experience a range of engineering disciplines before making their final UCAS choices and Dragonfly - 1 day STEM activity sessions for Year 9 girls. We are also developing new 3 day courses for Year 11 girls as Preparation for STEM A-levels and in collaboration with the RAEng we are running a Personal and Skills Development programme for Year 13 young women as preparation for university life. These important EDT activities have the support of WISE, UKRC and other stakeholders. If you would like to know anything more about EDT or how you can get involved then please visit our website or contact Estelle Rowe, EDT Headstart Director. |
| Are you employed in engineering/manufacturing or recently made redundant from such position | |
Skills for Technology offers fully funded training allowing you to up-skill or re-skill in a number of technical areas such as:
CAD
CAM
Electronics Measuring and Testing
Electrical Installation and Maintenance
Composites
Value Analysis/Engineering
Our specialist providers covering the South East offer short; high quality training that will make a difference to you and your company. The project is funded through SEEDA/ESF.
We specifically cover two areas Marine and Aerospace and Advanced Instrumentation, ICT and Electronics.
Courses are delivered flexibly to suit specific needs and are either approved or accredited through a recognized awarding body or professional institute.
Funding is subject to eligibility, however if you work for an SME with no more than 249 employees you are sure to meet the requirements and able to take advantage of this offer that's only available until the end of 2010.
To find out what courses are available the first step is to visit our websites
Skills 4 technology The project allows one course per person, however in many instances a company may work across both projects and subsequently able to take advantage of two courses.
The courses in our portfolio usually cost up to £500/day, places are limited so take advantage while the opportunity still exists.
Skills for Technology is pleased to be working with the Women's Engineering Society
For project enquiries, please contact Steve Gledhill (Project Manager) on 07787 283892.
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| Greenpower Challenge
| | Greenpower is dedicated to promoting engineering and technology as careers to students aged 9-25 in any form of full or part-time education. This is achieved through unique hands-on projects to design, build and race an electric car.
By taking part in the competition, all participants are given an insight into the real, tangible world of engineering. Since starting in 1999, it has expanded from being a 22-car secondary school event to a nationwide project holding the Goblin Formula series for primary school children, the original Formula 24 for secondary schools and Formula 24+ for teams aged 16-25 and in any form of full or part-time education. The competition is becoming increasingly popular, which stands as a testament to its unique approach to engineering and its ability to bring together and excite young people from a variety of different areas and backgrounds.
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Striking the Balance
Mikron Theatre Company tours two plays a year by narrow boat, bringing lively drama to small venues that other companies somehow miss. For 39 years, casts of four actors have performed plays on themes drawn mainly from industrial, social, transport and rural history. Amongst topics in recent years have been fair trade in the co-operative movement and the lives/careers of engineers Thomas Telford and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
This summer look out for Striking the Balance, developed in partnership with the TUC to celebrate 40 years of the Equal Pay Act - coming your way soon.
For dates and venues for the Mikron Theatre Company website. | |
| Mentors Required | |
MentorSET is looking for a number of mentors. In particular we are looking for:
A Civil Engineer for a student based in the Midlands/ North East
Two Environmental Engineers, for mentees who are mid and early career, in the South East
A Senior Electronic Engineer for a mentee in Scotland
A mentor with business knowledge working in the building sector. Preferably based in the Midlands or the North East
IT mentors for mentee in the South East and London
If you would like to become a mentor, please go to the MentorSET website for more details and to register or contact Jan West. |
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And finally....
If you have any articles you would like to have featured please contact the WES office by clicking here. We'd love to hear your stories of your schools outreach activities or ideas to inpsire young people that we can share across our community.
Don't forget to forward on our e-newsletter to your friends and contacts, male and female and help to inpsire more young women to consider engineering and technology as a career.
With good wishes
the e-News team. | |
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WES Annual Conference 2010 | |
WES Annual Conference 19th-20th November 2010
WES Doris Gray Student Conference 20th-21st November 2010
Both conferences are being held in Sheffield this year. We are overlapping the two events in order to give both student and qualified engineers an opportunity to network and learn from each other.
Registration is now open
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| Our Sponsors
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If you would like to sponsor our newsletter please click here for more information | | WES Member Benefits | |
WES in now on LinkedIn, you will find it a great place to go for information, links and offers of discounts or job adverts.
The IMechE has offered a WES member one place a special price for their seminar 'Engineering Disputes, how to amnage them and how to suceed' in September. If you do take up the place, please let us know and feedback what it was like.
Further member benefits negotiated on your behalf include use of the IET member areas and discounted room bookings at their venues .... Simply take your WES membership number for use when signing in. If you can't find it ... A quick call to the office will help !
As part of your WES mambership we are negotiating an increasing range of discounts for events and training courses. WES members can still apply for a years free membership of the R&D Society. |
| WES Annual General Meeting | |
The WES AGM will be held at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday 18th September 2010 at Aston University, Birmingham. All members of WES and guests who are not members of WES are welcome. This is an ideal opportunity to find out about our achievements during the 90th anniversary and what WES projects are being undertaken in the next twelve months. |
| My Sparkling Career
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Whether your heroine is Alice, Tinkerbell (Disney 2008) - the engineer who lit up fairyland - or Computer Engineer Barbie and whether you think pink stinks we all like things that sparkle. Engineers and scientists especially. It might be a shiny new engine, a stunning building or a piece of perfect semiconductor crystal fresh from production. We'd like to introduce you to some new heroines to hear them talk about their sparkling careers. Practical and creative with one thing in common. Women who want to make a difference and make the world a better place.
When: 11:30 to 13:00 Saturday 18th September 2010, directly after the WES AGM
Where: British Science Festival, Aston University
How to book: book on line at the British Science Festival
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| Quick Links | |
Stemming is a place for women and girls who are interested or involved in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) to connect with each other to share information and opportunities.
Human Library
Twitter contact @littlecough is looking for amazing female engineers for the 'Human Library' of living books
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| | Newstead Wood girls give the lads a run for their money
Students gained 3rd place in Shell Eco-marathon Youth Challenge UK
1st July 2010 - Newstead WoodSchool won 3rd place in the Shell Eco-marathon Youth Challenge. Their team from Orpington, Kent competed against 22 other school teams from across the UK in this national driving competition where speed is sacrificed for efficiency. This is the first year Newstead Wood have entered the competition so they were thrilled to have achieved such a result. Their winning mileage was a staggering 374.6 mpg in a car they built themselves.
The Shell Eco-marathon competition challenges 11-16 year olds to design, build, and test fuel efficient vehicles. Pupils aim to complete the course at the Rockingham Motor Speedway using the least fuel possible whilst maintaining a minimum speed of 15mph. This year the event was truly international with the UK teams being joined by guest teams from universities in France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, who are there to refine their models for the European event in 2011.
Shell has been running Eco-marathon events for over thirty years in the UK and they are specifically designed to encourage the engineers of tomorrow to continue with their studies of science and engineering subjects.
Holger Paesler, Site Manager Shell Technology Centre Thornton & Global Manager for Shell Global Solutions presented the team with their award. "I'm always impressed by the student's enthusiasm and would like to congratulate the students at Newstead Wood School on their great achievement. I hope that they will go on to achieve great things in the world of science, technology engineering and maths."
Shell volunteers play an important role in running the event. Staff assisting on the day included the Ferrari Formula 1 Project manager and leading scientists who develop fuels for the Ferrari F1 team.
Norman Koch, Shell Eco-marathon Global Technical Manager, based at Thornton, says: "Our team of technical experts has a unique level of expertise in delivering all aspects of this competition, from the vehicle scrutineering to fuel measurement and safety inspections."
"By participating in the Shell Eco-marathon Youth Challenge UK, the students get practical experience but also learn about how exciting the application of science can be. We hope that it will lead them to consider a career and ultimately opportunities in science to enhance the talent pipeline."
Find out more about how Shell is promoting scientific careers in the UK on our website |
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