2015 marked the third year that our Milwaukee operations hosted "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" - a national event geared toward inspiring young women to pursue careers in engineering. This year's attendees were enrolled in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses at their school; PLTW is a national engineering curriculum that provides students with the opportunity to earn college credit while learning the principles of engineering, electrical engineering, engineering design, and more.

With this strong educational background, the students were able to visit our company and apply their textbook knowledge to real-world problems. For example, the girls learned about how steel is made and the steel plate nesting process. They then used their familiarity with 3D drawings to read a drawing and create a part that ultimately formed a model of a drill. 

Only 19% of today’s engineering students are women. Events like “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” can move that needle and encourage more women to become involved in STEM careers. Jake Haskell, a Project Lead the Way teacher, said "Through the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, your company turned an artist into an engineer. Let me repeat that. In one day, your engineers turned a right-brain person into a left-brain person. I saw the transformation right before my eyes! Kayla was always drawing during her free time. While she often came up with creative solutions to engineering problems, she preferred art. When she returned from your company, she came to me and said "They sold me. I really want to be an electrical engineer." Kayla has been accepted to four universities to date and she plans to major in both engineering and art."

Across the world, we have a commitment to attracting, developing, and retaining top talent who will contribute to our success now and in the future. By investing in education and events like “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” we can start developing the next generation in a unique and impactful way.