Women in Engineering Committee

The WIE Committee was formally created as an entity of Engineers Nova Scotia in 2014. The WIE Committee’s vision is to foster an engineering profession reflective of the society it serves, and that supports professional engineers, engineers-in-training, and engineering students who are women by:

Promoting the increased participation and advancement of women in the engineering profession.
Fostering welcoming workplaces where all clients, colleagues and coworkers who are women are treated equitably and their perspectives and contributions are recognized, welcomed and valued.
Coordinating and running the networking and mentoring program for engineers who are women, and advising other equity-deserving groups on creating network and mentoring programs

The Committee has three subcommittees that all Engineers Nova Scotia members are welcome to be part of.

Improving Working Conditions (IWC): Identifies and creates resources to assist members and employers in creating equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplaces via: Best practices guide development; Awards/Recognition/Support; Database of resources
Networking and Mentorship (N&M): Fosters relationships between members with different lived experiences to increase a sense of belonging in the profession by sharing stories, providing guidance, encouraging understanding, and developing skills via: Networking; Mentorship; Skills development (lunch and learns, workshops, articles)
Spotlight on Local Innovation: The Spotlight on Local Innovation Subcommittee, is an Event Subcommittee active for the period needed to plan, execute, and review the annual Spotlight on Local Innovation event. Taking place each March, this is Engineers Nova Scotia’s signature National Engineering Month event.

If you are interested in contributing to one of these subcommittees, please send an email to volunteer@engineersnovascotia.ca identifying which subcommittee you are most interested in.

Resources

A Guide for Women in STEM: Closing the Gender Gap

Make Possible – Mentoring network to advance women in STEM careers

Women in Engineering and Technology

Engineers Nova Scotia Women in Engineering Volunteer Showcase - Slide Deck

Leading Remote Teams with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

DiscoverE's Persist Series

Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome

Equity And Accessibility In The Workplace

Social justice isn’t enough for true diversity in the workplace

D&I Done Right: How to Create a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Q&A: Michael Bach makes the business case for diversity and inclusion

UBC Gender Equity & STEM Conference turns challenges into opportunities

Online mental health and addiction services

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Virtual Library

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI)

Transitioning Through Maternity Leave

Parental and Maternity Leave Benefits Infographic

Managing Transitions Guide - Engineers Canada

Engineers Canada, in partnership with Geoscientists Canada, recently released Managing Transitions: Before, During and After Leave, which is intended to assist engineers and geoscientists who are considering maternity or parental leave and their employers. It provides extensive checklists and outlines steps that individuals, supervisors and companies can take to help smoothly off and on ramp employees taking a leave of absence.

“This guide will be a tremendous resource for new parents and for their employers,” said Kim Allen, FEC, P.Eng., the Chief Executive Officer of Engineers Canada. “The guide and its recommendations will go a long way to creating welcoming workplaces in the engineering and geoscience professions with good leave practices that will attract talented employees.”

Engineers Canada and Geoscientists Canada are both dedicated to enhancing gender diversity in their respective professions, where women remain under-represented.

Engineers Canada and Geoscientists Canada thank the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Alberta (APEGA), and acknowledge the groundbreaking work done by the women and men of the Women in APEGA group. That group created the foundational document, Managing Transitions: Before, During and After Leave, upon which this national guide is based.

Engineers Canada also thanks its Sustainable Profession Committee for their contribution to this national guide.

PD Sessions

Being Conscious about Bias: The Role of Bystanders in Workplace Culture

Breaking the Bias in STEM

The Engineer - Past Articles

Tools for Intervening: What to Do when Encountering Bias

A Positive Pause

Spotlight Event 2020

Engineering our Own Unconscious Bias

A Positive Pause

Group Mentoring - A Personal Advisory Board

Engineering Students Help Others Understand Mental Health on Sexton Campus