Postgraduate Grants for Women Engineers: “Realising Their Full Potential”

Studies and alarming news regarding UK’s postgraduate study have propelled a solution towards women’s favour. The studies, which have brought about the elusiveness of advanced studies as fees skyrocketed and funding all-too often squeezed, made an astounding rebound in the engineering sector.

Women engineers are soon to receive the postgraduate grants – something Universities and Science Minister David Willetts referred to as useful “for students, universities and the economy.”  While the impact of this postgraduate grants is far from being seen, its employment should, nevertheless, improve the so-called ‘inadequacy’ in today’s postgraduate funding.

Testing support

Before the grants come to a ‘mainstream,’ they must be tested. This is exactly the objective of the Brunel University Project.  The testing is expected to draw out specific issues that play dominant roles in the nature of women engineer’s consideration for further study.

The scheme is anticipated to be ready this coming January until August of year 2015.  The estimated number of women beneficiaries, who are enrolled in postgraduate engineering courses, could amount to 40, their per-month grants reaching £1,250.

The project is actually in keeping with the “£25m pilot scheme to boost postgraduate study, particularly among under-represented groups.”  The latter group is obviously referring to female engineers.  For want of concrete numbers here’s Brunel engineering lecturer, Petra Gratton:

Only around a quarter of students on engineering master’s courses are women.

Interestingly, there is no stopping Brunel’s notch further: the institution is also funding for students (both male and female) who chose to enrol on a “multi-disciplinary master’s course focused on real life engineering problems.”  This separate project has been made possible through partnerships with BP and Network Rail.

Busting the ‘hard hat’ myth

Access to postgraduate study, particularly for women engineers is, apparently, not the only agenda.  Through these grants, and the subsequent number of women engineers in the postgraduate courses, the myth of the hard hat is predicted to be busted down.

Such myth has been considered to be detrimental to women engineers’ perceptions; its emphasis (ie, too much ‘in-field’ aspect) is said to have turned down ladies against the challenge of engineering postgraduate study.

A Brunel spokesman has offered a clarification about this hard hat myth:

At advanced level, engineering is very much an office-based profession, where the emphasis is working with teams on a collaborative basis. These skills are areas where women have
traditionally excelled.

This statement puts to light the specific engineering sector by which the scarcity of women engineers is observed: ‘at an advanced level.’

December’s success stories

In line to making postgraduate study accessible to the female talent pools, the month of December have seen an ongoing spotlight for women engineers.  One story had been taken out by the Eureka Magazine: Abbie Hutty, who had been working on the ExoMars Rover mission, has just received her IET recognition.

Abbie is a spacecraft structures engineer and now, IET’s Young Woman Engineer Ambassador.  Another story had been that of Anna Richardson, whose Leo James Award had prompted distinction from the Institute of Measurement and Control or InstMC.

This hardworking engineer started her education and career from Poland, moved to UK, and took further qualifying studies.  Indubitably, further education is influential in women engineers’ career.  The success of these postgraduate study grants is not only for women engineers; it is also propelled towards UK’s engineering industry.

If you were to extend the scope of these grants, from engineering to another sector, what field or fields would you choose?  Which fields demand more female talents?