IGEday together with SICK - Inspiring tomorrow's young engineers!

Every year, the Womengineer Foundation organizes IGEDay (Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day) to inspire young girls and non-binary individuals to explore technology by visiting various workplaces in Sweden. This is the second year that SICK Linköping has participated in organizing an IGEDay!

We interviewed Charlotte Axelsson, HR manager at SICK Linköping, to learn more about why this day is essential for SICK Linköping and how the company inspires girls and non-binary individuals to consider a career in tech.

Why is IGEday important for SICK Linköping?

Diversity is an important key to a high-performing and profitable organization with great innovation power and high employee satisfaction. Gender is, of course, only one of several perspectives of diversity. Working in tech, it's very obvious that there are still more men than women favoring engineering studies and working in tech. We generally need more people to choose to work in tech to fulfill the need for tech competence now and in the future. We need more women working in tech, not only for the sake of achieving diverse workplaces but also for the supply of competence, and that's why it's so important to awake an interest in tech as early as possible. Engineers have fantastic career opportunities in a variety of roles and fields with an opportunity to grow and develop throughout their whole work life – of course, that should not be limited to only a part of the population 😊

Womennigneer was started in 2008 with the goal that by 2030, as many female engineers as males will be examined. Today, that number is around 33%. Over the years that IGEDay has been organized, organizations have helped over 100,000 young girls and non-binary people change their views on technology.

How does SICK Linköping inspire girls and non-binary people into a career within tech during IGEday?

We gathered some of our fantastic female engineers to talk about their backgrounds and what they do at work to really show how fun and developing it is to work in tech, and how you could overcome insecurity in mathematical skills or doubt about the experience in programming. We try to create a relaxing environment where the visitors feel confident in asking all their questions and end the day with a very positive gut feeling.

 What advice would you send to someone considering studying in the technology field?

Go for it! Don't let low self-esteem or lack of interest in mathematics be an obstacle; reach out for support and help. Not all University programs in engineering focus on math. Research the Internet to find the technology field that is most suitable for your interest and motivation.