Dice pledges equality for engineers of tomorrow

Engineering firm Dice has set out to challenge a stereotype by providing equal opportunities for female engineers in what is traditionally seen as a male-dominated field.

Statistics from the Women's Engineering Society (WES) suggests a mere 12.37% of all engineers in the UK are women and the East Midlands-based business has prided itself on its relatively equal workforce, with 50% of its staff being women.

Read more: Diversity in European firms doubled throughout the pandemic

The company has recently announced a slew of new hires and promotions, while also heavily investing in its apprenticeship scheme which operates a "learn while you earn" system at a time when traditional university pathways are being hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Iva Dimitrov, who recently joined Dice as a senior civil engineer, has more than five years of experience working on a variety of national schemes.

She specialises in commercial developments and sustainable drainage design and has joined as the leader of the civil engineering team.

She said: “I have always known that I want to be in a profession where technical skills and problem-solving are integral parts. I grew up in a small town in Bulgaria and my closest role models were my mother, who is a mathematician, and my father, who is an engineer, so naturally engineering was my first and desired career choice.

“Shortly after graduating, I started my first job as a civil engineer and was fortunate to work for a manager who was not only a fantastic engineer but also a great teacher. I had the opportunity to work on a variety of commercial projects in a busy, fast-paced environment, which helped me to learn a lot more about the industry.

“I feel incredibly proud to be part of such a thriving, client-focused and reputable consultancy like Dice, which is encouraging women from a multitude of backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering.”

Dice apprentice Husna Gul initially applied to university after completing A-Levels in maths, physics and chemistry, but withdrew her UCAs application after choosing the apprenticeship route.

She said: “Being the eldest child in the family, my parents were worried when I told them that I didn’t want to take the ‘traditional’ university route. However, after they looked into degree apprenticeships, they soon realised this was the right path for me and have been incredibly supportive of my decision.

Read more: Covid-19 has had severe effects on apprenticeships, report finds

“Engineering is such an exciting and fulfilling industry where no two days are the same. I have picked up a huge amount of knowledge in such a short space of time. When I first started, I could never have imagined I’d be able to do the kind of jobs I’m doing now, and that’s testament to both Dice and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) for creating a new pathway into the industry.”

Dice director Raj Somal said it was imperative the firm operated with a diversified team in terms of race, gender, religion.

He said: In past roles, I have experienced that non-diverse teams do not provide the best working environment, so we aim to buck the trend. The most important thing when starting the business was to create a positive place to work that is inclusive for everyone.”

Dice has recently been nominated for an award at this year's Nottingham Trent University Apprenticeship Awards, which celebrates the achievement's of the university's apprentices and employers engaged NTU's apprenticeship scheme.

Back to Homepage

Back to Construction & Engineering