By Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has advised female students to study science courses in order to compete with their male counterparts in the engineering profession, noting that the country is in need of female engineers.
APWEN President Funmilola Ojelade, who stated this recently in Abuja, admitted that: ‘Engineering is a male-dominated profession,’ adding that: ‘We are so over numbered. Just about 13 per cent of the engineering workforce are women. And, if we are women, the only thing we can do is help other girls to become like us.
‘At least we want to get to a point in which we can have 50 per cent men and 50 per cent men who are engineers because half of the population are women.
‘So, we can as well have half of the population being women that is why we are focusing on women because we are women.’
Former APWEN President Dr Felicia Nnena Agubata disclosed that over 500 pupils would be trained across the 6 geopolitical zones in the area of science and technology.
‘Ignite the fire of sciences in girls. We want to ensure that we have more females who will be willing to take up more sciences that will lead them to a career in engineering.
‘We want to have as many engineers in the next 10 to 15 years. Science is life and engineers are problem solvers. The more engineers we are able to produce the more human problems that will be solved.
‘We are going to train 200 teachers across the 6 geopolitical zones and organize workshops for 500 pupils across the country.
‘We are partnering with the Rural Academy of Engineering. Our UK partner is the University of Scotland. We have picked 12 public schools in the FCT,’ he said.