Semta supports Johnson Controls encourage women in manufacturing

Johnson Controls, a leading global supplier of automotive interior systems and electronics, is helping female employees to pursue careers in engineering with the help of Semta, the sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies. In an industry traditionally dominated by men, the company realised it needed to improve the percentage of women in the organisation. This was part of a global business objective to increase female representation across the business, and help give the their female employees the confidence to develop their careers. Johnson Controls chose to work with Semta after hearing about the organisation’s pioneering Women and Work programme, which aims to help firms to meet their need for skilled employees by attracting, developing and retaining female staff. With a 2,000, strong workforce across six automotive facilities in the UK, Johnson Controls employs 160 women in total with the majority of management positions held by men. The Women and Work programme is already making a significant contribution towards redressing the balance. Sarah Lamb, acting Lead Hand/Trainer at Johnson Controls has joined the programme and says that taking part has increased her confidence in the job. “I’m now able to deal with difficulties more assertively” she said. “I believe more in myself now and because I can see where my career can progress, I have set myself goals to get there.” As well as helping women in the business to further their careers, the programme is supporting Johnson Controls to become more competitive by equipping female employees with the skills they need to drive the business forward. In addition to formal training in areas such as IT and communication, it has also enabled those taking part to identify their own training needs. Commented Sara Andrews, UK Human Resources Manager at Johnson Controls Automotive Experience: “The Women and Work programme has not only provided training opportunities that would not otherwise have been identified across the business it has created a network of females that are thinking about their career options and are fulfilling their potential – this increases female employee engagement and hence adds-value to the business.” Added Semta Chief Executive, Philip Whiteman: “Our own research has shown that the UK will need more than 200,000 recruits between 2010-2016, to replace those who retire and to meet the new demand from rapidly growing sectors such as advanced manufacturing. Women will play an increasingly important role in filling these skills gaps in an area traditionally dominated by their male colleagues. The Women and Work programme will equip them with the skills they need to progress their own careers and contribute to business improvement.” - E N D S –

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