AESSEAL® and The Institution of Mechanical Engineers have donated £50,000 to Sheffield Hallam University, aimed at encouraging more women to work in engineering.

President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Professor Richard Folkson, and Stephen Shaw Engineering Director at AESSEAL®, formally made the donation while visiting the University's Department of Engineering and Mathematics.

A report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, highlighted the UK’s shortage of female engineers with just over 6% of engineering jobs been held by women. The donation from AESSEAL® and The Institution of Mechanical Engineers to Sheffield Hallam, which is a national centre of excellence for supporting STEM education, will help to support the next generation of female engineers.

Professor Jill Stewart, head of the department, said: "The support of AESSEAL and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers is hugely appreciated as we strive as a department to encourage more women to study and work in engineering. As a female academic, I am in a position where I can help promote engineering as an excellent career for girls, which is a task I hold very close to my heart.

Exactly how the funds will be directed to help encourage more women into the engineering department will be determined at an upcoming departmental meeting.

Engineering Director at AESSEAL®, Stephen Shaw hopes that the donation will help Sheffield Hallam “attract, educate and develop the next generation of female engineers and that these engineers are then given the opportunity to have successful engineering careers beyond University study”.   

"