SEA Celebrates International Women in Engineering Day with Community Open Event

SEA welcomed students, aspiring engineers, and members of the local community to our Barnstaple site to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (INWED).

Held in partnership with the Women's Engineering Society (WES), the event brought together people from across North Devon to recognise the achievements of women in engineering, share career experiences and encourage the next generation to explore opportunities within STEM.

The evening began with a panel discussion featuring women from across SEA's engineering and business disciplines. Our panellists shared reflections on their career journeys, discussing the challenges they have overcome, the opportunities they have embraced and the projects that they continue to work on. Questions from attendees centered around career pathways, early careers opportunities and building confidence in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. The openness of the discussion created an environment where everyone felt encouraged to ask questions and learn from real experiences.

Ann Donaghey from the Women's Engineering Society delivered a presentation highlighting the importance of improving representation across engineering and supporting women throughout every stage of their careers. The session reinforced how diverse perspectives strengthen problem-solving and help create better engineering outcomes. It also showcased the wide range of initiatives available to support women entering and progressing within Engineering.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with SEA colleagues from across our engineering and business functions. These conversations provided the opportunity to discuss career aspirations, gain practical advice and learn more about the variety of roles available within the engineering sector.

We would like to thank everyone who attended, our panel speakers, the Women's Engineering Society and all of our SEA colleagues who helped make the evening such a success.

International Women in Engineering Day is an important opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women across our industry, but it also serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing to encourage greater diversity, inclusion and opportunity within engineering.

We hope everyone who joined us left feeling inspired, informed and excited about the future of engineering, and we look forward to welcoming many more aspiring engineers to future SEA events.