A group of young women from the University of Huddersfield have returned from an international engineering conference determined to encourage more women to pursue careers in science and technology.
Ten students from the University’s School of Computing and Engineering travelled to Istanbul, Türkiye, after being selected for the Global Engineer Girls (GEG) programme, an initiative designed to support and empower women in engineering.
The students joined more than 300 young women from countries including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mozambique and Côte d’Ivoire for the conference, where they heard from industry leaders, government representatives and female role models working in STEM.
For many of the students, the experience was an opportunity to see first-hand the growing global movement aimed at tackling gender imbalance in engineering and technology careers.
Mechanical Engineering student Nandana Rajeev Sandhya said the programme had strengthened her confidence and ambitions.
“Being part of the GEG programme was a truly inspiring experience. It gave me the opportunity to connect with ambitious women in engineering, share ideas across cultures and feel empowered to continue growing as a woman in STEM.”
Computer Science student Laila Khurram said meeting women from around the world reinforced the importance of perseverance.
“Being part of the Global Engineer Girls programme in Türkiye was a really inspiring experience. As a girl studying Computer Science, hearing the journeys of so many driven and successful women reminded me to stay focused and keep pushing towards my goals, as sometimes we forget the transformative potential we all have.”
Women remain significantly underrepresented across many engineering disciplines in the UK, with industry bodies continuing to call for greater participation to help address skills shortages and improve diversity within the sector.
The University of Huddersfield became one of only two UK institutions to join the Global Engineer Girls programme earlier this year, giving female students access to mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities.
Dr Karl Walton, Acting Head of Engineering, said the conference offered students the chance to learn from successful women across a range of industries while building international connections.
“The GEG project has a long-standing and proven track record of providing training, mentoring and networking opportunities for thousands of young women worldwide,” he said.
Founded in Türkiye in 2015, Global Engineer Girls has supported more than 2,000 young women across eight countries, with the aim of increasing female participation in STEM careers.
Following the success of the pilot programme, the University of Huddersfield plans to expand the initiative beyond engineering and make it available to female students across all STEM disciplines.
