Website aims to bring more women into the workplace

Netconstruct creates online presence for UK Resource Centre for Women

Netconstruct, one of the UKís leading web developers, has launched a new website aimed at encouraging more women into employment in the science, engineering and technology (SET) sectors.

The website for the Bradford-based UK Resource Centre for Women in Science Engineering and Technology (UKRC) aims to bring more women into areas of the workplace that have traditionally been the preserve of men.

Half a million women in the UK are qualified in either science, engineering or technology - but less than a third work in these sectors, all of which are suffering a severe skills shortage.

Skills in the SET sector are expected to decline further over the next ten years which could seriously damage the UKís productivity and competitiveness.

The UKRC, through its website, works to tackle the low numbers of women working in science, engineering and technology, providing a central source of expertise, data and information on women in SET in the UK, helping businesses to encourage more women to enter these fields and supporting women themselves to further their careers.

David Bentley, Managing Director of Leeds-based Netconstruct, which designed and powers the new website, said: ìThe new UKRC website provides a range of information and services to help women enter the workplace in the areas of science, engineering and technology.

ìThe site also provides a mentoring service, skills improvement services as well as research, news and events.î

The UKRC's director, Annette Williams, said: The issues surrounding skills shortage in the UK are obvious and will have a major impact of the countryís productivity and competitiveness over the next decade.

ìThrough the new website we have delivered an easy-to-use tool that can help more women find a place in these crucial areaís of the UK economy. And with more women becoming net savvy the ukrc4setwomen.org website provides a very useful tool and an introduction to a career in SET.î

The Confederation of British Industry has predicted another 97,000 qualified engineers will be needed within only three years to satiate the demand in the UK's economy.

It is estimated that by 2011 only a third of the nation's workforce will be white, male and under 45 ñ a clear indication of the need for a more diverse workforce, according to the UKRC.

In the past two years, more than 1,000 women have sought advice and guidance from the UKRC as they attempt to break into the science and technology industries.