IMechE, WES launch new partnership

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is proud to announce it has agreed a partnership with the Women’s Engineering Society to help us raise the profile of women engineers and encourage more young women and girls to take up engineering careers.

Inclusion is one of our values and our agreement with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) will allow us to provide greater support to women in engineering at every stage of their career with skills and career development.

We are looking forward to partnering with WES on a mentoring scheme for female engineers. As part of the agreement, WES will help us recruit speakers for events and expand our network of volunteers.

Isobel Pollock-Hulf CEng FIMechE, Chair of the Institution’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a Patron of WES, said:

“This partnership with WES will provide a significant boost to our commitment to supporting women engineers, providing new opportunities for career development and networking. The agreement will allow us to help encourage gender diversity in engineering.”

Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive of the Women’s Engineering Society, said:

“We are delighted that the Institution of Mechanical Engineers is joining us as a partner and showing its commitment to creating a truly diverse workforce. We look forward to working with IMechE and continuing our close association.”

WES’s aims include supporting businesses and institutions to attract and retain women in engineering as well as shaping the engineering gender diversity debate in industry and with government.

The Institution has long-standing links with WES. We are proud that many of our members have been winners of WES’s Top 50 Women in Engineering Awards which celebrate their professional achievements.

Our first female member, Verena Holmes who was elected a member of the Institution in 1924, was one of the early members of WES and its president in 1931. She was the first practising engineer to serve as president of the society.