Yorkshire is being urged to get more women into technology, but new research suggests the region faces a wider challenge: bringing new engineers into the workforce.

Research from Accu reveals that the UK ranks 28th in Europe for supporting women in STEM-related roles, while major regional differences are also affecting the development of a diverse future workforce.

Women account for just 18% of South Yorkshire’s tech and engineering workforce, while the new analysis found that only 8.2% of Sheffield’s engineering vacancies over the past year were entry-level.

Against this backdrop, the precision engineering experts at Accu analysed the number of entry-level engineering jobs advertised across Yorkshire and the wider UK to highlight the regional discrepancies.

Key findings

• Bradford ranks last in the UK, with just 4.4% of engineering vacancies advertised as entry-level.
• Sheffield sits below the national average, with 8.2% of engineering vacancies aimed at entry-level candidates.
• Across the UK, just 9% of engineering vacancies advertised over the past year were entry-level.
• The UK has the highest gender pay gap in Europe, with women’s earnings 19.8% below men’s, ranking 28th in the study of Europe’s best countries for women in STEM.

Entry-level engineering roles in Yorkshire

Yorkshire engineering opportunities vary significantly

Bradford recorded 685 engineering vacancies during the study period, but only 30 were advertised as entry-level. This gave the city the lowest proportion of junior engineering opportunities anywhere in the UK.

Neighbouring Leeds offers a considerably stronger market for aspiring engineers. Of its 5,534 engineering vacancies, 578 were entry-level, meaning 10.4% of advertised roles were aimed at junior candidates. This is more than double Bradford’s proportion and above the national average.

York performed even better, ranking among the UK’s top 10 cities for entry-level engineering recruitment. The city recorded 770 engineering vacancies, with 88, or 11.4%, advertised as entry-level.

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Sheffield recorded 2,187 engineering vacancies, with 179, or 8.2%, aimed at entry-level applicants. Middlesbrough saw 503 engineering vacancies, with 44, or 8.7%, suitable for those beginning their engineering careers.

UK locations with the lowest proportion of entry-level engineering vacancies

Alastair Morris, Managing Director at Accu, comments:

"Engineering remains one of the UK's most important industries, but our findings show that entry-level opportunities aren't distributed evenly across the country. While cities such as York and Leeds are creating proportionally more opportunities for graduates and apprentices, places like Bradford are recruiting far fewer junior engineers.

“Building a strong engineering workforce starts with investing in apprenticeships, graduate schemes and trainee roles, while also ensuring women and girls have the support and opportunities to pursue careers in STEM.

“With women making up 40.5% of STEM graduates in the UK but the country ranking 28th in Europe for supporting women in STEM, there is clearly more to be done to turn interest and education into long-term careers. Without creating those pathways, we risk failing to develop the diverse and experienced engineering workforce the industry will need in the years ahead.”