As an Equal Opportunity Employer, HMD Kontro has been at the forefront of encouraging women to take on engineering roles. We were therefore delighted to feature in the Business Edge magazine published by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce. Jenny Woollett, our HR Manager talks candidly about how HMD Kontro actively pushes for women to take up positions in engineering roles
That was not all! We also made it to the front cover of the magazine with Jo Whitling, one of our Technical Support Engineers, featuring with a picture taken in the reception area of our Eastbourne headquarters. It’s no secret that historically engineering has been a male-dominated industry, but HMD Kontro is helping to change this by encouraging more women to take up engineering, with the career opportunities it opens up.
HMD Kontro is a member of Women in Engineering Society (WES)
The Sussex Chamber of Commerce produces the Business Edge magazine six times a year. The April/May issue centres on the topic of Employment and Skills. As a company we actively push for women to take up engineering positions. Jenny discusses this in detail and also talks about how HMD Kontro became a member of the Women in Engineering Society (WES) in 2019.
This is a professional network of women engineers, scientists and technologists, which offers inspiration, support and professional development. Several employees from the company have been given annual individual WES membership so that they can reap as much as possible from this prestigious society, which boasts the largest network of women engineers in the UK. It highlights that HMD Kontro is fully committed to supporting WES in its campaign for gender diversity in engineering.
Women in engineering bring a diversity of skills and approaches
The article features two of those who perfectly highlight the increasing role that women are playing in engineering at HMD Kontro, namely Hannah Verrall, our Aftermarket Manager and Jo Whitling. They have been working for the company for nine and thirteen years respectively and are testament to HMD Kontro’s supportive culture. Both outline how they are able to have a well-balanced work and home life having young families. They come from contrasting backgrounds bringing a diversity of skills, approaches and opinions.
Hannah Verrall training to be a Chartered Engineer (CEng)
Hannah chose to study engineering at Cardiff University and is now training to be a Chartered Engineer (CEng). She joined HMD Kontro as a postgraduate with two years experience and now manages a team of six. CEng is an internationally recognised qualification, which will emphasise her professional competence and commitment as an engineer. Attaining this status will put her into a very select group. Current statistics suggest that less than 13% of all engineers are women with only 5% of registered engineers and technicians being female, which includes those having achieved Chartered (CEng) status.
Jo Whitling becomes an Engineering Technician (EngTech)
The article also features Jo Whitling, who always knew her career would involve doing something technical. Five years ago, an opportunity arose at HMD Kontro to train as an EngTech and Jo jumped at this. This qualification is a formal recognition of engineering skills and competence and a vital stepping stone towards becoming an Incorporated Chartered Engineer. In September 2020, Jo started an Electrical Installation course, which she hopes to complete soon.
Talks and workshops about ‘Women in Engineering’
Jo also went into Hastings College to talk about ‘Women in Engineering’ to the students before the pandemic. This is something that Jo and Hannah plan to continue and are looking forward to hearing from local schools and colleges who would be interested in talks and workshops once the restrictions are lifted.
Opportunities for female engineers with HMD Kontro
HMD Kontro is always looking towards recruiting more women in the roles of apprentices and engineers. For more details and a current list of vacancies at HMD Kontro and to register your interest if an opportunity becomes available, please visit: hmdkontro.com/recruitment. The Business Edge magazine article can be seen by going to pages 20 and 21 here: https://issuu.com/distinctivepublishing/docs/be60
