A TRAINING charity, based in the North-East, has signed a charter which it hopes will see more women enter engineering.

The TTE Technical Training Group, a UK’s technical training provider to the oil and gas, process, manufacturing and engineering sectors, has signed a public declaration with the UK Resource Centre for Woman in Science Engineering and Technology (UKRC).

TTE managing director Keith Hunter said: “At TTE we are continually challenging gender stereotypes by actively promoting engineering careers in the oil, gas and process sectors to female students in local schools and colleges.

“We have female apprentices on our books, but would like even more to sign up to our training programmes.

“By making this public commitment, by signing up to the UKRC charter, we are clearly demonstrating that opportunities in the engineering and process industries are open to everyone.”

Annette Williams, director of the UKRC, said: “It is important that leading organisations such as TTE make a public commitment to equality and diversity.

“We hope that this pledge manifests itself in more females signing up to the apprenticeship programmes delivered by TTE, which in turn will lead to more women going into careers in the engineering, process and technology sectors.”

Several members of TTE staff have recently attended seminars looking at potential barriers faced by women considering careers in the world of science, engineering and technology and at identifying good practice in encourage more women into these sectors.

TTE is a charity having a not-for-profit status originally established as a joint venture company and owned by ICI and British Steel, before becoming independent in 1999.