LONDON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Almost half of the apprentices hired to help build Britain's biggest rail project are female, it was disclosed Friday.
HS2 Limited, the company building a high speed rail between London and the North of England, marked International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) by announcing initiatives to encourage even more women into engineering.
To celebrate INWED, which falls on Sunday, HS2 has produced a short film which subverts the stereotype of what an engineer looks like, challenging the out-dated masculine preconceptions of an industry that is rapidly becoming more gender-inclusive.
The short film stars Clara Lenzi, a project management apprentice working on the new high speed railway, filmed on location at the future location of HS2's super-hub at Old Oak Common.
Demolition of the former sheds at the one-kilometer long site in London is now well underway, ready for construction of what will be one of the best connected rail stations in Britain.
"Currently, the number of female professional engineers in the UK is around 12 percent, which is the lowest in Europe. However, 30,000 people will play a role in designing and delivering the new backbone to Britain's railway, and HS2 is making steps to ensure that local people, under-represented and disadvantaged groups are among them, which in turn is helping to reduce gender disparities within the industry," said a spokesperson for HS2.
Lenzi, 21, who lives in London, said: "I am proud to be one of many apprentices working for HS2 who are women. At HS2 I've been given lots of responsibility, which has aided my progression and success as a project manager and allowed me to build invaluable relationships within the workplace. I am learning from some of the most experienced people in the industry."
Gaining two-year's experience, in addition to a qualification, has helped Lenzi to build her skills to progress in the industry, an advantage she feels she has on those coming straight from university.
She is one over 320 apprentices who have supported HS2 since Royal Assent was granted for the multi-billion dollar rail project in 2017. The most recent intake of apprentices working at HS2 was 43 percent female.
INWED was established by the Women's Engineering Society, a British charity which started in 1919 at the end of the First World War when females who had worked in technical jobs during the conflict wanted to continue with this work.
The organisation aims to support women to achieve their potential as engineers, encourage and promote the education, study and application of the field, and work with organisations to promote gender diversity and equality in the workplace.
