COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Columbus Technical College (CTC) is creating a space for female engineers. On Women in Engineering Day, celebrated annually on June 23, CTC leadership discussed their recently started engineering program and making a place for women in the industry.
“While these fields continue to be male dominated, at CTC, we are excited to see increasing numbers of women filling non-traditional roles,” said CTC representatives including Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers, Dean of Professional and Technical Studies Dr. Damon King and Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications Denise Wells.
They added the school aims to give students the knowledge and skills needed to perform well in high-demand industries like engineering.
According to a piece by Roberta Rincon for the Society of Women Engineers magazine, women made up 28% of engineering graduate students and 24% of engineering undergraduates in 2019. She reported despite a trend of decreasing undergraduate enrollment, graduate enrollment of women in engineering was slowly rising post-pandemic.
CTC disclosed there is currently one female and eight male students in its engineering program for the summer. Once fall comes around, the program will welcome two more female students and 11 males, although numbers are not set in stone yet. Enrollment for CTC’s fall semester is still underway.
The Society of Women Engineers reports current proportions of women in engineering disciplines vary. It states 9% of mechanical engineers are women versus 35% of environmental engineers. CTC representatives said the difference comes down to personal preference.
“It is important to note the generic differences involved in each area. For example, mechanical engineering involves mechanisms used to power or operate machines. By contrast, environmental engineering involves protecting human health and improving the quality of the environment,” CTC representatives said.
The CTC representatives also explained it is important to have women in engineering as the industry grows and needs more people to join the workforce. They also stated women face underrepresentation in leadership roles in the industry and said engineering jobs are overwhelmingly pursued by men.
In order to combat this, the school reported they continually offer job placement opportunities for their students with a high success rate. The also noted students are encouraged to get involved with leadership programs on campus to gain skills which they can carry into their careers.
As of now, CTC’s engineering program includes Engineering Technology with specializations in mechanical, industrial and electrical engineering, as well as Civil Engineering Technology, though leadership mentioned the school hopes to add environmental engineering in the near future.
The CTC representatives reported the school is also dedicated to helping students transfer to four-year institutions, like Columbus State University, to continue their engineering educations. They also encourage eligible graduates to segue into employment at CTC.
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