Greetings!
Welcome to this months newsletter.
Much has been happy in the past month. We are pleased to welcome Jacqui Hogan as the new interim manager for MentorSET. The annual conference website is now open for registrations. We are also asking for your help with running WES, if you can please get in touch with the WES Office. If you have any events or stories that you would like to share with the WES Office please let us know.
The WES e-news team
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WES is pleased to welcome Jacqui Hogan as Interim Manager for MentorSET.
Jacqui originally planned to be an Architect, and her first job was as a site engineer on a large building site! She went on to train as a software programmer, and has a career spanning over 30 years' working at all levels within the IT industry, for clients as varied as oil rig design, electronics, car manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, local government and insurance, Working as an independent management consultant for the past 8 years, Jacqui has mentored many technology organisations and business leaders, helping them develop their business strategies and action plans. Her local business women's co-mentoring group (Business Conversations No 1) recently achieved its first birthday.
During her MBA studies, Jacqui became very interested in creative thinking and Innovation and, as a result, has developed and run a variety of related workshops and seminars.
Jacqui has been managing MentorSET since March this year and is working to grow the scheme through personal development workshops and presentations on the benefits of mentoring to leadership growth.
MentorSET is a WES supported mentoring scheme to help women working in Science, Engineering and Technology. MentorSET provides independent mentors who understand the challenges faced and who can provide support and advice.
For more information about MentorSET, please visit the website | |
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| | Engineering Leaders of the future
Are you an authentic leader, heroic or servant leader? Have you heard about distributed leadership? Leadership insights are invaluable in working effectively with all of you colleagues, not just some.
WES is supporting the HE STEM Set to Lead project. Being run from UCL by WES president Jan Peters the project is looking at the provision of team and leadership skills within engineering degrees.
The project has several angles to scope out the kinds of leadership insights employers are looking for at assessment centres and evidence of how students have been able to demonstrate leadership in group activities. To date the project has worked with Arup and Microsoft to hold open days - attracting nearly 300 student registrations. Two further open days are planned for the autumn and if you are interested in hosting one please get in touch with the project team.
Discussions have started with universities to find out about current good practice, leadership models and the awareness and confidence of the academics preparing students for project work. This will be added to by roundtables with Industry taking place on 18th July, with registration via the blog.
Helen Duguid, former head of great leaders at Microsoft is working with the project team to explore and gather tools and resources to offer insights into inclusive leadership. These will be found at UCL on the leadership blog and your contribution to discussions is welcome, whether an engineering academic, leadership guru, talent manager or senior engineer. We'd love to hear from you or sign up to follow progress.
The project will also be launching a survey in the autumn that will explore the career choices of engineering undergraduates. This piece of the work is being lead by Sean McWhinnie.
The open day pilots will continue to be run after the project by WES as part of its strategy to connect students with professionals and this will be run through the engagement of employers through the WES Partnership scheme. Include articles on topics of interest to your readers, relevant news and events. If you find an interesting article on the Web, you can easily ask the author's permission to summarize the article and link to it from your newsletter. Drive traffic to your website by entering teaser text for the article with a link to your website for readers to view the full text.
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Ford announces new £1 million UK University scholarship programme,
William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, announced a major new £1 million UK university scholarship programme in technical and innovation fields to mark 100 years of Ford's commitment to the UK.
Called the Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme, the scheme will provide 100 student scholarships - one for each year of the company's operation in the UK - at leading universities to encourage a new generation of engineers, scientists and innovators.
The great-grandson of Henry Ford announced the scholarship program at London's Science Museum to an audience of business leaders, employees and Ford dealer partners.
"Ford has played an important role in the local community and in the development of mass transport over the many decades," Bill Ford said. "I am pleased to be able to support a new generation of technical innovators that can play a part in shaping the future of mobility in our next 100 years."
With UK University fees set to rise by up to £9,000 per annum in the next 18 months, Ford is offering sponsorship of £10,000 per student over a three-year period. These grants will be provided by Ford to support 100 undergraduates on a selection of engineering, science, manufacturing and technology courses at select, leading universities in the UK.
The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme is supported by a new partnership between Ford of Britain and the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.
Ford Fund works with community partners from around the globe to support initiatives in education, driving safety, and heritage and community life. Funding for the scholarships will come from both organisations, with the Ford Fund working with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation to support scholarship winners.
These scholarships are in addition to Ford's latest internship scheme for undergraduates and Ford's ongoing commitment to key apprenticeship programmes in the UK. These are open to all age groups, including current unskilled employees, providing paths to career progression and offering the chance to develop core skills.
Ford of Britain is celebrating both 100 years as a leading marketing and sales operation in the UK, and 100 years since the first Ford, the Model T, was assembled at its Trafford Park facility in Manchester. Ford is reinforcing its relationship with a country which has made it the market leader in car sales for 34 consecutive years and the commercial vehicle sales leader for 45 years.
In the UK, Ford directly employs over 15,000 people, many in highly skilled roles developing and building high-technology, fuel-efficient, low CO2 engines, and with a further 100,000 jobs supported through the Ford supplier chain and dealer network.
Ford's recently-announced £1.5 billion investment in low-carbon engineering and manufacturing is helping to underpin the UK's manufacturing and export-based economic recovery. Ford plants at Bridgend in South Wales and Dagenham in East London have the combined capacity to assemble two million engines annually so that one in three Ford vehicles, globally, can be powered by a UK-built engine, while the Ford Dunton Technical Centre in Essex is the global centre of excellence for diesel powertrain R&D and for European commercial vehicles.
Joe Greenwell, chairman of Ford of Britain, said: "Ford of Britain is playing a key role in Ford's global strategy, and continued investment in the UK will propel us forward into the next 100 years. The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme will help encourage young people to study engineering, science and technology at university. These skills are fundamental to our future industrial base, the rebalancing of the UK economy and long term economic success." | |
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WES needs your help
WES is run by a Council of volunteers and we currently have a number of vacancies. We are currently looking for
Event co-ordinators in the local regions and
Someone to organise and run two Technical leaders events each year.
If you can help or know someone who can particularly in the above roles please contact the WES Office.
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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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| Getting There
A key part of the WES strategy is connecting women across different parts of the profession and our annual conference is a primary way of doing this. We are delighted to be holding Getting There in association with the women's Transportation seminar
We will have technical breakfast briefings, invited and submitted talks as well as two leadership workshops. A symposium on engaging girls in engineering is also being planned. Register now for the early bird rate and make sure to book your hotel soon to get good rates!
WES is delighted to welcome Thoughtworks on board as a core partner. Thoughtworks are a software consultancy; we create software solutions to help solve our clients' biggest and most pressing business problems. This means we work continually with clients to find out what their problems are through face to face conversation and ongoing contact, usually at their offices. We design innovative solutions and combine our code writing skills, inquisitive minds and creativity to deliver awesome software and champion software excellence."
Thoughtworks are taking an active role in scoping the Set to Lead project and are actively engaged in developing a student event in London for the Autumn. Keep your eyes peeled for further news and find out more on the WES website!
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DO YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN?
Networking Women launch their first conference for Women in Business
In the current economic climate, with the spending cuts in full swing individuals throughout the UK are looking for jobs and thinking about setting up their own businesses. Networking Women based in Witney, Oxfordshire has put together their first Conference with this in mind. Designed to give a complete overview of all aspects of setting up and running a business, the Conference will take place at The Oxford Centre on 15th September from 9.30am - 4.30pm.
Entitled "Believe you Can!" is a full day of top speakers, learning sessions, workshops and networking opportunities put together by a group of eight business women who all run their own successful companies. Topics will include Brand Design, Networking, Finance, PR & Marketing, Goal Mapping, How to manage your Work Life Balance, Social Media, Networking and How to get the best from the Rest of Your Life.
Lisa Cherry, co-founder of Networking Women said; "We are very aware that there are now lots of people out there who are looking for second careers and have always wanted to run their own businesses. Our Conference is designed to cater for all business needs whether they are a woman starting out in business or a fully fledged female entrepreneur."
Keynote Speaker Sarah Steel from The Old Station Nursery set up her own business with her sister in 2001, when unable to find childcare. The company now has 15 childcare settings around the UK, including 3 nurseries in Oxfordshire with 250 staff in total. Sarah said; "I am delighted to be the keynote speaker as it is a great opportunity to encourage women to think about starting their own business. I will show them that it is possible to enjoy the benefits of an exciting career which they are in control of.
Delegates will have the opportunity to attend four "Time to Learn" sessions that focus on personal learning and business development. There will also be an exhibition hall with business exhibitors that can offer advice and support.
Special Offer for members of Women's Engineering Society - Book before 30.7.11 for just £75. A saving of over 20%!! Quote COFWNS
For further information and to book a place, please visit the website | |
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Women of Outstanding Achievement Award
Two women working in the built environment sector have been awarded the prestigious Women of Outstanding Achievement Award. Dervilla Mitchell, winner of the Inspiration and Leadership in Business and Industry Award is Arups most senior female engineer and Eur Ing Dr Phebe Mann, winner of the Tomorrow's Leader Award. | |
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Construction and Pregnancy
Constructing equality have had a number of enquiries from women who are expectant mothers or thinking about the future asking about their rights. They are aware that many of you want to know what the current picture of maternity offering is in the construction industry. If you would like them to do a bit of research on this issue and write it all up in a blog please click the following link so we can get an indication of numbers. They would also like toknow about being pregnant in construction. Also if you have had firsthand experience please let them know so they can build up some case studies. Contact Constructing Equality
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Quick Links
WAMT's Construction Diversity Expo at Londons's Guildhall on 12th September 2011
More info
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Related Topics
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Mentoring as an effective tool to grow future Leaders
Wednesday 20th July 2011
Venue: Department of Biochemistry Sanger Building, Seminar Room, University of Cambridge. FREE event. Mentoring is a powerful personal development and empowerment tool and an effective way of helping people to progress in their careers. Being a mentor can improve your leadership skills and enable you to learn from alternative approaches and different ways of thinking. This interactive seminar/workshop aims to show the benefits of an effective peer mentoring programme to individuals and to the organisation as a whole. More info | | |
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Maria Canellas wins The Construction and Design Undergraduate of the Year Award
The Construction Engineering and Design Undergraduate of the Year Award went to Maria Canellas who is studying Structural and Environmental Engineering.
The award was sponsored by Laing O'Rourke and involved Maria completing a series of challenging online tests, application forms, interviews and assessment exercises. The award means that Maria wins a summer work placement in one of Laing O'Rourke's international operations, possibly in Australia, Canada or Hong Kong.
Nearly 4,000 undergraduates took part and the best 120 were invited to the awards event in April hosted by the Rt. Hon. Michael Portillo. This award was one of 12 presented on the day. Each award is sponsored by a leading graduate recruiter KPMG, BT, Morgan Stanley, Airbus, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, EDF Energy, E.ON, Mayer Brown, RBS, Ernst and Young, Laing O'Rourke and Barclays Wealth. Each sponsor offers a fantastic internship to the winner, often involving time spent abroad.
Maria is a 3rd year undergraduate at Homerton College, University of Cambridge.
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| WES would like to thank all of its sponsors and supporters
and in particular, the IET, Transport for London, National Grid and Arup
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If you would like to sponsor our newsletter please click here for more information |
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