Kindergarten – Grade 12 (K-12)
Challenges/Barriers:
- Perception of engineering as male-dominated and centered on building and construction
- Misconceptions about the engineering profession
- High school course prerequisites (e.g., physics)
- Socio-economic barriers
- Insufficient mentorship and role models
- Lack of early exposure to engineering
- Lack of confidence and self-efficacy in STEM subjects
- Stereotypes and bias in STEM education
- Educational gaps and lack of support for teachers
- Literacy proficiency
Opportunities/Resources:
- Volunteer to be an ‘Engineer in Residence’ at a local elementary or high school with Engineers of Tomorrow
- Encourage your organization to join or sponsor the Forward Engineering Collective – to advance the ‘E’ in STEM
- Support a young girl in your life to consider engineering – encouragement by family/friends is critical (this is a list of available engineering scholarships)
- Check out these engineering activities at Explore Engineering.
Licensure support (Professional Engineer – P.Eng.)
Challenges/Barriers:
- Compared to the public we serve, women are underrepresented in licensed engineers
- Lower retention rate for women who do get their license (referred to as the ‘leaky pipeline’)
- Women report more negative/challenging experiences of the licensure process
- Women report experiencing more self-doubt when documenting their licensure experience records
- Women are less likely to receive stretch assignments or be given the same opportunities for technical projects as their male counterparts (especially in their early career).
Opportunities/Resources:
- Volunteer to mentor university students or professionals who are pursuing licensure – sign up to hear of local opportunities, as available: HERE
- Encourage those you know who is pursuing licensure to sign-up to Pathways to Engineering Newsletter
- Or if someone obtained their engineering education outside of Canada, encourage them to look at resources at Engineer Here.
- Consider organizing a P.Eng. working/support group at your workplace and specifically encourage women to join. Let them know you think they can do it!
- LinkedIn Challenge: create a video and post your licensure story - how does having a P.Eng. set you apart in your career? Tag #EngineeringLicensure and link to Pathway to Engineering.