'Our industry is still male dominated, but things are changing'

There has been a significant increase in the number of women studying for engineering degrees in Northern Ireland, new figures show.

Over the last 10 years the number of female students studying Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University has increased by 40%, while at Ulster University the number studying engineering has almost doubled over the past decade.

But employment figures also show that the engineering and wider manufacturing industries in Northern Ireland are still male dominated.

Now a group of women working in the engineering industry in Mid Ulster are raising awareness about the opportunities for women in the sector.

Lorraine O'Neill is one of them.

When she first joined one of County Tyrone's largest manufacturing firms back in 1994, there were less than 10 women working there. Now the company employs more than 300 females across Northern Ireland.

"Yes there are still gender stereotypes in this industry, but we've come a long way since I first started out", she said.

"When I joined more than 30 years ago, there were no females in the senior management team at all, but today 50% of our senior leadership team are female."

O'Neill is currently Senior Logistics Manager at Powerscreen, a global manufacturer of equipment used in the quarrying, mining and construction industries.

She wants to encourage more women to aim for senior leadership roles in manufacturing and engineering sector.

She said: "I love my job, I help ship our machinery all over the world and no day is the same.

"A lot of people have a picture in their head about engineering and manufacturing jobs but they don't understand there are so many different opportunities from logistics, to finance to procurement.

She added: "Things are changing and seeing women in senior roles really helps."

Tyrone is known for its cluster of engineering and manufacturing firms and today more than 40% of the world's mobile crushing and screening equipment is made in the Mid Ulster area.

Founded as Ulster Plant Ltd in 1966, Powerscreen pioneered the concept of mobile screening.

Over the following decades, the business grew from a local engineering firm into a global brand. It was acquired by Terex Corporation in 1999 but continued to retain its roots in County Tyrone.

As it celebrates its 60th year in business, together with its parent company Terex, they are looking at how their workforce has changed and diversified.

Recent graduate Sneha Saji has been working at Powerscreen as a manufacturing engineer for a number of months.

She said: "Before starting my engineering degree, I probably did have an idea in my head that this industry was primarily for men, but doing internships and seeing women in senior engineering roles really did inspire me.

"It can be daunting if you're in certain departments that might be male dominated, but I would say just give it a shot, don't let the stereotypes put you off, ask plenty of questions and don't be afraid to make mistakes."

Amelia McCormack has been with Powerscreen for seven years and now works as a senior logistics co-ordinator.

She joined the company through an apprenticeship.

The "earn while you learn" element attracted her and she has "never looked back".

She said it is a "hands on, fast paced" job.

"I am really proud to be a woman working in this industry, showing that things have changed, but it's fair to say that there is still work to do."

Figures show that women hold approximately 11% of engineering roles in Northern Ireland and make up about 23% of its manufacturing workforce.

Juliana Early is a professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen's University.

She believes the increase of women studying Engineering centred degrees is a sign that things are changing.

She said: "Having worked at Queen's for the past 23 years, I have seen first-hand the sustained commitment to increasing participation of women in the engineering sector.

"This growth reflects changing perceptions of the opportunities afforded by engineering and the success of targeted efforts to ensure that talented women see the sector as a place where they can thrive."

Rachel Pattison has worked as an engineer in Northern Ireland for 16 years.

She believes the key to more gender diversity is getting young women interested in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at an early age.

She said: "I was always good at maths and physics at school and had very supportive parents, so I never thought that engineering and manufacturing was something that I wouldn't be able to do."

Pattison credits that to being surrounded by encouraging teachers and because of that the idea that it might be a male-centred workforce was not off-putting.

In 2024, while maths and physics were among the most popular subjects studied at A-level by boys they were not in the top five most popular subjects taken by girls.

According to the Department for the Economy's (DfE) women in STEM taskforce, only one in five STEM jobs are filled by women in Northern Ireland.

Pattison is now head of operations for Tierco Healthcare, a company that designs specialists seats for hospitals and care facilities.

She believes changing perceptions for young women will continue to impact the statistics.

"There's no arguing the employment statistics show there's still along way to go in terms of female representation in the industry, but it's about shining a light on those women already working it.

"To any young women out there who want to break into the industry, I would just say be curious, if it's something you feel passionate about do not let anybody pigeonhole you or say you can't make it, because it's not true."