Engineers Ireland's Women in Engineering Group has held a one-day conference at Trinity College in Dublin, with a wide range of leading speakers from the field of engineering and beyond.

Under the theme 'Enhanced by Engineering', the event aimed to empower, inspire, and honour women in engineering. Speakers included Linda Doyle, Provost of Trinity College Dublin; Tiffany Quinn, Founder of Generate Leads; Susan Cormican, Group Director at Ethos Engineering; Noreen O’Keeffe, Executive and Career Coach; Mentor, and Neil Curran, Communications and Teams Facilitator.

Attendees also had the opportunity to network with peers, fostering connections and gaining valuable insights. The event was supported by Arcadis, Jones Engineering, ADCO, AECOM, Atkins, CS Consulting, Jacobs and Tritech.

A recent study conducted by Ipsos B&A for Engineers Ireland revealed that 39% of women do not see engineering as a viable career option, compared to only 29% of men. Additionally, more than a third of female respondents indicated they would not consider entering or changing careers to pursue engineering.

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At the recent Engineers Ireland STEM Opportunities' Leaders Forum, held in Dublin and supported by global healthcare technology leader Medtronic, research was presented demonstrating the different expectations for attainment our society tends to place on boys and girls in school mathematics. Similarly, it was highlighted that fewer female role models within the profession can also act as a barrier, as it reduces opportunities for girls and young women to see people like them as leaders within the profession.Engineers Ireland Director General, Damien Owens, said: "Research suggests that many women still do not consider engineering as a career suitable for them. While we have much work to do to change this perception, events like today’s conference do an excellent job in highlighting the important role women play within our profession and stand as role models who can encourage better gender equality within engineering."

In attendance at the event was also Colette O'Shea, Chair of the Engineers Ireland's Women in Engineering Committee who said: "It is important to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day and the amazing network of women working in engineering and engineering related fields. We want to create connections and build a community to help change the face of the industry for future generations."