For the second year the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) is running the Talent 2030 National Engineering Competition for Girls. The competition is free to enter and, for the chance to win £1000, invites girls aged 11-18 to submit their ideas for 'How can engineers solve the challenges of the 21st century?', giving them the opportunity to explore engineering as well as winning some fantastic prizes. The competition, sponsored by Rolls-Royce and EDF Energy, will run from Monday 19th September until Friday 19th December and prizes will be awarded at the Big Bang Fair in March 2015 - for more information see the Talent 2030 website: www.talent2030.org/competition.

You can also visit the facebook page and follow the competition on twitter @Talent_2030           

 Kings College, London are looking for mid-career academic women working in London to take part in a one-hour interview for our research project funded by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, entitled, 'Mid-career academic women: Strategies, choices and motivation'. This project aims to further understanding of academic women's careers, their future plans and any barriers to involvement in leadership. Interviews will be confidential and all names will be changed.

If you define yourself as a mid-career academic woman and you currently work in a London university, we would love to hear from you! Please email by 30th September..

For further information on the project, please see the website.

 Nominations are open!

The FDM everywoman in Technology Awards exist to uncover inspirational female role models in technology. Recognising, celebrating and encouraging the female talent within the sector is imperative as there are still too few women working within the sector.

These Awards aim to reverse the decline in the numbers of women taking up careers in IT by encouraging more women into this innovative and fast moving career choice, one which rewards their talents. Previous winners and finalists embody the talent, passion and determination that it takes to succeed. Following the 2014 sell out event the Awards Ceremony for 2015 will take place for the first time at the Hilton Park Lane.

With two new categories announced for 2014 - The one to watch award and International Leader of the year award - as well as categories for start up founder, rising stars and innovators, everywoman are welcoming entries again from more inspirational women in IT.

2014 winners include Torie Chilcott, Founder, Rockabox and Diana Kennedy, Enterprise Systems, BP Plc.

Nominations close on Monday 3 November 2014

Girlguiding is launching Girls Matter: Our Calls for Change after hearing about the many challenges girls have told us they face today. We need to make sure girls and young women are part of the discussion before the General Election in May next year.

You've already told us you want to be a part of this special campaign and help us put girls' voices in the spotlight. Which is why we really need your support now to help us build momentum and ensure as many people as possible take our pledge.

Take the pledge, share it and help us ensure girls' voices get heard

Together we can shake up the political and media debates before the election - so that life really does get better for girls and young women.

Visit the campaign site now to pledge and be sure to share with your friends to help us spread the word.

An innovative networking organisation set up to address gender diversity across the energy industry with a predominant focus on increasing female retention was officially launched this month. (September 17th)

Aberdeen X-Industry Support (AXIS) network aims to foster a collaborative environment that delivers business value by connecting professionals, both male and female, by being an independent forum for sharing industry best practice and providing access to role models and mentors.

Irene Hannah Chair of AXIS network, said: "In an industry where so many significant advancements have been made, it is surprising that typical career issues faced by females and which many other industries have overcome are still commonplace in oil and gas industry. Examples of these are returning to work after having family or a conflict of interests for a couple who both work in the industry.

"We felt that whilst a variety of women's networks exist within the industry, there is a need for a central organisation that unites them in what has historically been a male dominated industry. By facilitating networking opportunities with professionals across the industry, AXIS aims to raise awareness and, hopefully, find solutions to the issues through engaging with influential industry professionals, sharing knowledge and practical solutions.

"AXIS is keen to support women at all stages of their careers as well as assisting the real need to continue to encourage females into the energy industry to start with. We are working towards showing there are a huge amount of opportunities to progress up the ladder or indeed diversify into other roles."

The Launch event with guest speakers and numerous representatives from the energy industry was held on Wednesday, 17th September, at the Fabric of the Land art exhibition in Aberdeen's Union Square with the theme 'Better balance, better business'.

Irene added: "So far, we have had great support from individuals and employers who recognise that women can play a vital role in helping to address the skills shortage and driving the industry forward in the years to come."

Following the success of the Women into Industry lunch at Offshore Europe 2013, a number of the participants from a diverse range of backgrounds decided to build upon the collaborative approach to form AXIS.

The organisation has already received significant support from LR Senergy, Dana Petroleum along with Shell, Talisman Sinopec Energy UK and Thor Holt Ltd.

Speakers on the night included -

Oonagh Werngren, operations director at Oil and Gas UK,

Arthur Soucy, president of Europe, Africa and Caspian for Baker Hughes,

Brian MacMillan, business development manager at Halliburton

and

Irene Hannah, contracts and procurement manager for Shell and chair of AXIS.

The inaugural event was by invitation only, with future gatherings open to all. For further details please visit the website or email

Are you considering returning to the world of work within IT, Engineering or Science sectors for some time. Do you want real support to make that possible?

This guided 1 day workshop rebuilds confidence and re-awakens skills in women who wish to return to a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths.  The day includes optional networking with companies in the sector and offers forum membership afterwards to ensure that learning is sustained and that course attendees can offer one another support during the return to work.

For more information and to book click here

The Diversity Team at the Royal Society are developing a central 'diversity hub' that will be located on the Royal Society's new website. The purpose of the hub is to provide information on what the Royal Society is doing to improve its own diversity and to form the basis of a resource on diversity issues in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM).

They are surveying equality and diversity practitioners in higher education, learned societies and professional bodies, and STEMM employers in order to help us better understand the needs and expectations of our audiences and what our resource hub could include.

To take part in the survey click here

It should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.  All responses received will be accessed only by members of the Diversity Team.  The survey will close on Friday 12th September.

 Do you have a spare computer you would be happy to donate to WES?  Our office computer is in desperate need of updating, so we are calling out to our supporters to ask if anyone has a computer they could donate to WES.  Or would you or your company make a donation to cover the cost of a new one?

If you can help please contact the WES Office

The IET Women's Network is an initiative, set up in order to engage with under-represented groups within engineering and technology and support them throughout their career.

A new RAE-funded project aims to engage 11-14 year old pupils in engineering research.

FIVE EVENTS: School children attend a free, one-day event at a university. University researchers explain, demonstrate and promote what they do and why they do it. Teams from each school submit a short written piece explaining which researcher they liked the best, and why.

FIVE VIDEOS: One team from each event is selected to create a short film about their chosen researcher. They keep in contact with their researcher to construct a storyboard and think of some probing questions, and then go back to the university for a day armed with a camcorder. Films are edited back at school.

ONE COMPETITION: The five teams - one from each event - compete to show their film to as many people as possible. The winner receives the 'Maximum Exposure' award.

THE LEGACY: At the project's end, the five student-created videos exalting and explaining the work of researchers will be housed on the website, each with related classroom activities and teacher guidance to introduce research-based activities into school.

 For bookings please visit the website or contact Katie for more information.

6.30pm - 9.30pm

Thursday 9 October 2014

Prince Philip House, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG

While widespread efforts to encourage more young people into engineering careers are beginning to gain traction, an engineering skills shortage continues to loom over UK industry. With 100,000 science and engineering professionals needed every year by 2020, this event will ask if it's time to rethink our strategy for promoting engineering

Traditional approaches to promoting engineering have aligned it heavily with science, technology and mathematics, but are these putting off those seeking a more creative career? Can we attract more talent by highlighting the ways engineering improves our quality of life?

This debate at the Royal Academy of Engineering will see speakers arguing for and against the motion 'This house believes that engineering should be rebranded as a creative and humanitarian discipline rather than a scientific and mathematically-driven endeavour'.

Among those arguing for a creative rebranding will be Group Technical Director at Laing O'Rourke, Paul Westbury FREng; Professor Louise Archer, Professor of Sociology of Education at Kings College London and Dr Veronika Kapsali a Reader in Biomimetic Systems at Northumbria University.

Leading the charge for STEM will be Chair of Governors at King's College London Mathematics School, Professor Alison Wolf as well as Steve Holliday FREng, the Chief Executive at National Grid.

This event is free to attend but registration is required at the following link

For more information please contact Emma Calvert, on Tel: 020 7766 0665 or email 

Partnership with the Science Museum and STEMNET sees ultimate challenges rolled out into schools

• UK-wide STEM school competition with 'open to all' format
• 22,000 11-14 year olds to be engaged in the first year of the competition
• 65% of all UK secondary schools expected to take part during inaugural year

BP have announced the launch of a brand new competition - the Ultimate STEM Challenge - in partnership with STEMNET and the Science Museum. The competition is open to young people aged between 11 to 14 and will challenge them to put their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills to the test by tackling some real-world problems.

Aimed at younger secondary school students yet to make their GCSE choices, the Ultimate STEM Challenge builds on the success of the BP Ultimate Field Trip, which has engaged nearly 3,000 UK STEM university students in the past five years, and lays the foundations for younger students considering studying STEM subjects before making their GCSE subject choices.

The challenges for 2014, of which there are three in total, are all based around the theme of using STEM to help us explore, live and work in challenging environments. Working in groups of two to four, students can choose from three challenges:

• Keeping Warm
• Keeping Hydrated
• Keeping Cool

The challenges to students have been developed to ensure they reflect the challenges BP faces as a business, from operating at the bottom of the ocean to the heat of the desert.

To enter, the teams will need to create a short film or presentation showcasing their project. Their teacher will need to submit these before the deadline of the 16th January 2015, using the online form on the BP Educational Services (BPES) website. Finalists will be invited to a celebratory final event on the 23rd March 2015 at the Science Museum in London to compete for prizes, including a cash prize of £500 to spend on science equipment or a field trip.

Teachers will be provided with teaching materials to help provide a 'kick-off' session to launch the competition with their STEM club or class. Inspiration and support will be available in the form of:

• Case studies highlighting how STEM is used to meet the challenges that BP faces as a business operating in locations such as the bottom of the ocean and the heat of the desert
• Social media link ups with BP scientists
• Local STEM Ambassadors (subject to availability)

Ian Duffy, Community Development Manager for BP in the UK said: "At BP, we know first-hand how important STEM subjects are to the future of the UK's competitiveness in the global economy. A key part of young people choosing STEM subjects is how strong a sense of self-identity and confidence they have in using those subjects. Many young people effectively make that decision in the very early years of secondary school, so positive early experiences can have a powerful effect. Together with our partners at the Science Museum and STEMNET, we have designed The Ultimate STEM Challenge in order to help young people see that they can be our engineers and scientists of the future, benefitting themselves, their families and their communities."

Kirsten Bodley, Chief Executive at STEMNET, said: "STEMNET is delighted to be working with BP and the Science Museum on the Ultimate STEM Challenge to encourage young people to embrace Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) through engagement with employers and STEM Ambassadors. We encourage young people to be enthusiastic about scientific concepts by challenging their creative minds and enabling them to build their employability skills through STEM. As a judge, I hope to see innovative ideas combined with scientific methods in the students' demonstrations. Challenges like this are a great opportunity for young people to understand the everyday challenges that BP face in the workplace."

"The Science Museum is delighted to be a partner in the 'Ultimate STEM challenge'", said Alex Burch, Director of Learning at the Science Museum. "Each year the Science Museum engages over 1 million children with science, engineering and mathematics, building their science capital and helping to inspire the next generation. We understand how important it is to build young people's skills and confidence with these subjects and these challenges will provide opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to see themselves as scientists, engineers and mathematicians."