Provincial Engineering & Geoscience Week

2 | W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S P R O V I N C I A L E N G I N E E R I N G & G E O S C I E N C E W E E K By Jennifer McFee for the Free Press T he 30 by 30 initiative aims to ensure that 30 per cent of newly licensed engineers are women by the year 2030. And when you crunch these numbers, they add up to a more equitable engineering industry. Engineers Canada adopted this goal in 2015. Then in December 2017, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba council approved a budget of nearly $800,000 to work towards achieving it. "This year in Manitoba, we're at just over 21 per cent," said Lisa Stepnuk, Director of Diversity Outreach for Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba. "It is a number that has fluctuated above and below 20 per cent over the years. For 2017, we were at just over 16 per cent." In an effort to bolster the percentage of women graduating from engineering, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba embarked on a marketing campaign last year. Planning ahead for the year 2030, they focused on girls who are currently in middle school in grades 7, 8 and 9. Part of the campaign involved students sending petitions to some of the largest employers of engineers in the province. In November, some of these employers met for a round-table discussion, along with students and representation from the provincial government. "The students were able to talk about what they might need in order to consider engineering as a career or why they think girls don't choose engineering. So the employers got to hear what they had to say," Stepnuk said. "Some of the girls said they need to see themselves represented, which is really important. They need engineers to come to their classrooms and talk about the work they do — and some of them need to be women since image really does matter in this case." The Manitoba 2030 industry coalition will reconvene in March for its first meeting following the launch in November. In addition to the marketing campaign, an environmental scan looked at barriers that might hinder girls and women from considering engineering as a career or staying with the profession. Based on all the information gathered throughout the process, they put together a strategic plan they're about to start implementing. They also zeroed in on factors that might steer girls away from engineering, including subtle gendered messages about who is good at math and science. Diversifying the engineering profession "When they did the market analysis and based on the market research, what we identified is that the culprits are really everybody. We all have a part to play in this — from parents to teachers and guidance counsellors, peers, the media, the faculty, workplace culture and policies, and regulatory authorities like the association, as well as all levels of government," Stepnuk said. "Now we're trying to line up different strategies that we've identified in our strategic plan with the culprits. As an association, we're trying to influence or implement the ones that we are responsible for so that we can try to chip away at all points in the pipeline throughout the lifetime of a potential or actual engineer." It's a career worth considering since engineering offers incredibly diverse options with the ability to impact lives on multiple levels. "Girls are often socialized to want to help and make a difference. There are many different streams of engineering where you can do that. Engineers do everything from making sure we have potable water to environmental interventions. They innovate to create new technologies for energy efficiency and to reduce pollution," Stepnuk said. "Engineers work in health care on different biomedical applications. They work on transportation to help connect communities, and they help people stay in contact through communication systems. The actual impact of engineers is huge because it touches everything." ❚ Students and their science teacher attend the Manitoba 2030 coalition launch at the Manitoba Legislature. "Some of the girls said they need to see themselves represented, which is really important. They need engineers to come to their classrooms and talk about the work they do — and some of them need to be women since image really does matter in this case." — Lisa Stepnuk Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba photo

• Cover