Women in manufacturing

During 2016 there was some real progress made towards gender equality across the public and private sectors with an increasing number of women stepping into senior positions, more notably our PM and MET Police Commissioner. This article looks at the challenges within UK manufacturing specifically to support women looking to embark on a career in the industry.

Louise McReynolds from Michael Page Engineering and Manufacturing explores how the industry can attract and retain more women into what has largely been a male dominated sector.

Manufacturing in the UK – 2017 outlook

There has been a lot of coverage in the news recently highlighting that the future is looking bright for manufacturing in the UK despite Brexit. The Food Manufacture Group has recently reported an optimistic outlook although it’s fair to say there’s still a lot of uncertainty amongst leaders in the industry. Similarly, in a survey carried out by the BPMA of manufacturing businesses within the Briman Group membership, it was revealed that each company involved had experienced growth, with an average of 11% and some as high as 40%. It’s an exciting time to be working in, or in my case supporting UK manufacturing. Irrespective of gender the industry presents expanding opportunities, how then do we ensure that we are enhancing our talent pool by appealing to both men and women?

The importance of women in manufacturing

The average UK manufacturing company is currently made up of 85% men and 15% women. According to the EEF, this has mildly improved since 2011 but by no means at the pace needed to close the gap. Manufacturing is a growing industry experiencing a shortage of skilled professionals due to a lack of apprenticeship programmes encouraging students to step into entry level positions. In addition to this, it seems to me that as an industry we are immediately almost halving the pool of candidates by not attracting more women into manufacturing. We need to address the gender balance from shop floor to top floor if we want to encourage recruitment and retention of women in the industry. 
The EEF’s 2015 Women in Manufacturing report highlights that there is a promise to create more business opportunities through board diversity which includes 23% female directorships, an increase of 3% from 2013. When compared to a recommended minimum target of 25% for all FTSE 100 companies, this is incredibly positive news and suggests an industry wide commitment to encourage more females to choose a career in manufacturing. So why is there still an ongoing challenge attracting females into manufacturing?
Jane Robinson, co-founder of Cutting Technologies, believes that we’ve got our PR all wrong. According to Jane’s research, young women seek roles that make them feel worthwhile and meet their emotional needs. As such, we as an industry need to better illustrate to women the opportunities that are available and all that can be achieved in manufacturing. 
Manufacturing businesses should be doing more, not just trying to meet a benchmark of women in management and directorship positions. Opportunities for both men and women in the industry should be equal, which in turn will encourage fresh ideas and new perspectives.

Selling the industry to women

As a career-long specialist in manufacturing recruitment, it’s clear that businesses are keen to become more diverse and inclusive when it comes to attracting and retaining women. The challenge now is for businesses, and as an extension the recruiters representing them, to present opportunities in a way that will attract female professionals. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some incredibly inspiring women so far and look forward to that increasing in coming years. 
If you are interested in a career in manufacturing or would like to explore new opportunities, please do get in touch. 
Louise McReynolds
T: +44 113 388 9054