Industry Must Do More To Inspire Future Female Leaders

ASG Produmax engineers at a West Yorkshire careers fair inspiring the next generation of female engineers.

ASG Group, a growing UK aerospace conglomerate is recognising the size of the task ahead for inspiring more females to consider a career in the UK aerospace industry. Like many growing UK manufacturers, the group must overcome the global shortage of skilled engineers by challenging unconscious bias. ASG Group is recognising the importance of inspiring and empowering more women to pursue fulfilling careers in engineering but there is more work to be done.

Whilst the group has a number of inspirational leaders as site Directors amongst its eight global sites including Sarah Stephens, MD at ASG TGM in Preston, Sasha Edge, Director at ASG AMF Engineering on The Wirral and Mandy Ridyard, FD at ASG Produmax in Bradford, they recognise this is just the start of the journey.

At the forefront of this though are the engineers themselves, who share their experiences and insights to encourage more women to follow in their footsteps. Alex Johnson is a Quality Engineer at ASG Produmax and is completing her Degree Apprenticeship in Chartered Management with the University of Leeds.

Alex identifies the diverse opportunities available in engineering. "If you have a passion for technical problem-solving and enjoy working as part of a team, engineering is an industry that truly offers it all,"

Apprenticeships play a crucial role in shaping the future talent pool within engineering and ASG Group recognises their significance in preparing individuals for the rigors of the real working world, investing across its UK sites in the future. Alex strongly endorses this career path, "Apprenticeships, especially those in engineering, provide invaluable hands-on experience and practical skills that are essential for kickstarting your career without delay."

Alex's colleague, Nia Naru, a graduate engineer from the University of Nottingham echoes the sentiment; "Engineering is a sector that embraces everyone's strengths and ambitions.” Whether you're a manufacturer, designer, problem solver, innovator, team leader, or team player, engineering needs it all. Diversity fuels innovation in this ever-changing field."

ASG Group believes making brilliant women leaders more visible is an essential step across the industry to moving the dial. Working to a future where articles like this are not needed.

This in turn has been proven to fuel innovation and drive growth by creating an enhanced culture of creativity and inclusion. ASG Group is hopeful these examples can inspire more women to enter the sector. Highlighting the brilliant women already in aerospace can make a difference. We look forward to reading more articles about inspirational women in aerospace.