A WOMEN into Engineering taster day was held at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, Thursday, February 20, to inspire a new generation of women to consider engineering as a profession.

Young, enthusiastic women from local schools and sixth forms met with inspiring women from Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Network Rail and were also treated to presentations and practical sessions, which provided an insight into the vast range of career paths and hands on experience using design equipment and machinery.

The event, created for women aged between 14 and 18, aimed at encouraging more girls to pursue a career in an industry that is generally dominated by males.

The Head of Department for Engineering at SGS College, Andrew Keenan, said: "It was really inspiring to see how engaged and enthusiastic the young women who attended were, there was a real buzz about the event.

There is a large skills gap in engineering at the moment, which we can help close by encouraging more women into the sector.

"The day, which had been arranged with the help of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, was a great success.

I received many comments from young women who said that they now want to be engineers and have a new understanding what the industry is like and how to enter it."

The college hopes to repeat this event in the near future in an ongoing effort to raise awareness of the opportunities for women in the engineering and manufacturing sector.

The College will also support the 2014 Stroud Festival of Manufacturing and Engineering, November 24 - 28, 2014.

For more information about engineering opportunities at SGS College visit www.sgscol.ac.uk or call 0800 0567 253.