EEECS Women’s Leadership Programme

The under-representation of women in the science and engineering sector is a reminder of the effort that still needs to be undertaken in order to close the gender divide and enable progress towards parity.

This highly engaging and participative programme has been purposefully designed to upskill female scientists and engineers within EEECS with the knowledge and behaviours necessary to confidently and successfully transition into the workplace.

Over the duration of their programme, participants will spend time unravelling “Who am I?”, as well as considering how their personal values, beliefs and behaviours impact their leadership identity and brand.

As a result of their participation on the programme, each delegate will gain an insight into:

• Understanding their own and others’ personality and behavioural preferences (through the Emergenetics Personality Profiling)

• Developing self-confidence and personal resilience

• Influencing and engaging others

• Leading self and others through change

   

Here are profiles of students/staff who attended the programme. They talk about their EEECS Women’s Leadership Programme experience and how they feel it benefited them.

Anna McLaughlin

A graduate of BSc Business Information Technology with a Years Industry Placement,

Anna completed her year in Industry working for Citibank Belfast in a Business Analyst Role. Anna is currently working in a graduate role for the Jameson

International Graduate Programme as the Jameson Brand Ambassador for the Midlands and Wales.

“The programme was a fantastic opportunity for myself. As a student, you have to do presentations, interview for jobs etc., so having confidence in yourself is important. The programme was a great way to improve on these skills with other like-minded females. By taking part, I learned about what type of personality I have and learned how to deal with people who may have different ones to myself. The most important thing about the programme, was meeting all the other females who were so intelligent and watching all of us grow over the course of the programme was really remarkable!! I would highly recommend the programme to anyone!”

 

Maria Johnston

Maria graduated with a 1^st Class Honours BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and is currently working at McLaren on behalf of Quick Release as a Vehicle Validation Coordinator.

“Taking part in the programme was a fantastic way to develop myself further. I am by no means shy, and already thought I had a lot of leadership skills within, but I found that there are always ways to improve and further my knowledge, and with the help of the amazing tutors I found another way of looking at leadership and presenting. Within engineering, it can be very male dominated and for me difficult to deal with other staff doubting my capability. This course gave me tools to overcome this and gave me the self-confidence to stand for what I believe and what I know. These skills have become very valuable since starting my job, and the programme has already started to shape my future as a leader.”

Angela Allen

Deputy Head of School in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who has been working in Queen’s University Belfast since she graduated in 2001. Angela has been teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes throughout her career focussing on the innovation, improvement and efficiency of assessment and feedback for large student cohorts.

“The EEECS Women’s Leadership programme was a superb experience. I had honestly refrained from signing up many times over the years as I felt I was not ready to lead however this was a mistake. The course allowed me to speak openly with like-minded, inspiring women, to consider my own personality type and allow me to consider how I could use this information to improve my communication and presence at meetings and lectures. The most important thing for me was learning how to be a good leader without needing to stand out as a leader. I would highly recommend this programme but unlike me, sign-up now! It is by far one of the best programmes I have engaged with for my own personal and professional development.”

Each programme will run on the following times:

Undergraduate Cohort | Afternoons 2-6pm | Places available: 15

Postgraduate & Staff Cohort |  Afternoons 2-6pm | Places available: 15

Application Process

Each cohort will comprise a maximum of 15 participants, selected through a competitive process. Applications will be selected by an independent judging panel and successful participants notified thereafter. Note that final year students on a Masters pathway will be considered within the postgraduate cohort.