This research highlights aspects of work undertaken as part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme funded, “50% for the Future” (50%FTF) project. This project started in 2022 and has focussed on developing an iterative and collaborative process to improve the percentage representation and experience of females studying Mechanical Engineering at HE-Level, through disseminating impactful evidence-based interventions.

In 2016, IMechE reported that only 8% of girls felt they knew a great deal about engineering as a concept. This leads to misconceptions, surmised as the collision of the “engineering and gender-stereotype”. The impact of these misconceptions being poor representation of females studying and working in engineering. At the inception of this project in Swansea University only ~8.5% of Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students were reported as female, lower than the 11.2% National Average for Mechanical Engineering at HE institutions. Low recruitment of females onto Engineering courses is an issue that all engineering courses within UK-HE need to reflect on and address through targeted interventions.

This presentation of work will focus on findings around understanding motivating factors in the female decision-making process when selecting Mechanical Engineering, along with feedback from different styles of novel, tested outreach interventions which forms the successful “50% FTF Hybrid Outreach Approach”. Insight will be provided into leveraging the student-teacher dynamic to allow for more consistent and embedded education around Mechanical Engineering in the pre-HE classroom. The quantitative and qualitative findings presented in the session will be of interest to those involved in recruitment/outreach and admissions within HE. Attendees will be provided with a digital copy of a “How to Guide” to support the implementation of the Hybrid Outreach Approach.

In addition to the focus of 50%FTF on increasing the numbers of females studying Mechanical Engineering, work has been undertaken to better appreciate the perception of degree activities and experiences for females whilst studying a male-dominated subject such as Mechanical Engineering. Through improved understanding of the lived experience of female students, suggestions can be made for interventions that may enhance the Higher Education (HE) experience for minority female, degree cohorts and provide improved confidence for their onwards pursuit of a career.

To inform this part of the work an undergraduate cohort survey of students studying Mechanical Engineering at Swansea was undertaken, with 243 respondents, of which 44 identified as female. Additionally, female-only focus group sessions were used to provide rich qualitative data around personal experiences. Survey findings evidenced differences in female versus male opinions around preference for degree activities, group work format, and discriminatory experiences. Opinion and intention for an onward career in Mechanical Engineering was also quantified. This has allowed for cross-tabulation between HE-Experience and career aspirations. The complete survey findings will be presented along with an overview of how the data has been used to inform ideas to enhance the female degree-experience in male-dominated subjects.

Keywords: Mechanical Engineering, Diversity, Female, Outreach, recruitment.