5 min read
STEM jobs are predicted to grow by 14.2% by 2026 – almost twice as fast as non-STEM jobs. As Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO noted in her 2024 International Women’s Day address, it is crucial that women are not left behind in this wave of opportunity.
Currently, only 15% of STEM-qualified positions in Australia are occupied by women, with a mere 16% representation in the field of engineering within the Australian labour force. The disparity persists partly because many young girls have never considered engineering as a viable career path, often due to a lack of clarity about what it truly entails.
This year, as we celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme of ‘Count her in: Invest in Women. Accelerate progress.‘, it’s imperative to address these barriers and actively encourage and support women to pursue careers in STEM fields like engineering, ensuring that they too can benefit from the immense opportunities that lie ahead.
As a start, we asked some of our women at Mipac what career advice they would give to their younger selves. Here’s what they said.
Women in engineering at Mipac
Jo Ann Stinson
Project Manager, Mipac
Mipac: What advice would you give to your younger self as you embarked on your career journey?
Jo Ann: Seize the opportunities to learn and experience as much as you can early in your career. Acquiring a variety of skills and experience will help you develop into a well rounded professional, will demonstrate that you are adaptable, and will highlight your potential to grow beyond your current role.
Keep a personal log of your professional experience, summarising the work you did, your roles and responsibilities, the objectives of the activities and the outcomes. This will make developing your curriculum vitae and acquiring professional accreditation a lot easier.
Seek professional accreditation, plus additional certification in areas of expertise, as you acquire the skills and experience. Do this in incremental steps, obtaining and maintaining new certifications as your career progresses.
Rather than wait for opportunities, create new opportunities for yourself by evolving your career. Understand that learning doesn’t stop at school or university; it is a lifelong endeavour that will benefit you personally and professionally.
Be willing to learn things outside your areas of expertise and acquire new credentials; this will benefit your personal and career development.
When considering new roles and opportunities, do not feel intimidated by grandiose sounding titles; break down the role requirements and recognise the transferable skills and experience you possess. Value your knowledge, skills, experience and achievements; the best advocate you can have is yourself.
Nagila Ribeiro
Control Systems Engineer, Mipac
Mipac: What advice would you give to your younger self as you embarked on your career journey?
Nagila: Be humble, because everyone has something to teach. Be yourself, ask a lot of questions and celebrate your achievements, even the small ones.
Madonna Mobbs
Draftsperson, Mipac
Mipac: What advice would you give to your younger self as you embarked on your career journey?
Madonna: Don’t change a thing. Laugh constantly. Life is short. Enjoy every moment.
Kook Onsanthie
Control Systems Engineer, Mipac
Mipac: What advice would you give to your younger self as you embarked on your career journey?
Kook: Definitely do it! Engineering contributes to many things that make our lives better, like electricity, petrol and water for our communities. One day, when you see a project you’ve worked on, you’ll be proud to have been part of something bigger – something that makes a real difference in the world.
Calling all women in engineering: what advice would you give your younger self?
Are you a woman in engineering? What advice would you give your younger self? Let us know in the comments below!
