EDITOR ' S QUESTION
There is a paradigm shift happening in the world of engineering with Gen AI causing disruptions and giving way to new business models. At the same time, Industrial IoT has led to the rise of Industry 4.0 and more recently Industry 5.0 which will blend futuristic technologies like AI and robotics with a more human centric approach. The industry will see increased participation of women engineers and leaders in creating engineering solutions that balance technological advancements with sustainability and human-centric goals as envisioned by champions of Industry 5.0.
As engineering roles evolve and mature, it is important to make workplaces more inclusive and merit based in the overall engineering sector. Currently, women contribute less than a fifth of the workforce in a majority of organisations. That ratio will likely see an uptick in the coming years as more women engineers join the global workforce.
Among the domains where we foresee growth of women engineers, software engineering remains predominant. But women are also making a mark in other notable realms such as space engineering, MedTech and telematics. All these fields are expected to open up a plethora of opportunities over the next decade and require qualified technologists working on next generation technologies. There is also an increasing demand for engineers skilled in AI, ML, Natural Language Processing and Robotics and this will only accelerate further in the next five years or so.
It is a fact that at the senior levels of organisations, representation of women in technology is lagging, but it is also slowly changing for the better. Women engineers have the potential to significantly enhance the boardroom, blending technical expertise with collaborative and empathetic leadership. These will enable organisations to pursue the path of profitable, sustainable and inclusive growth.
In our experience, women engineers bring a lot to the table with their naturally creative approach enabling them to think out of the box while solving complex engineering problems. They also bring in an orientation towards detail, meticulousness and efficient project management capabilities, leading to better on time delivery of technology programs. Such attributes will be increasingly invaluable for organisations to make them gain an edge in a highly competitive market.
The global shortage of talented women engineers globally is an issue. Misconceptions that STEM fields particularly mathematics are‘ male domains’ have contributed to a lower rate of women pursuing STEM disciplines. Yet data consistently shows that women perform at par with their male counterparts in these fields. We expect modern workplaces to prioritise inclusivity and meritocracy in the coming years, and champion equal opportunities to tap into a broader talent pool, with programmes which can accelerate the careers of young women engineers and give them a level playing field to excel in their chose domains.
If this occurs, the technology industry of today, which is poised for tectonic shifts, will reap the benefits of more inclusive boardrooms and leadership. �
AMIT CHADHA
CEO OF L & T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
www. intelligentbuild. tech 27