Author:

Keywords:

C3/21/056#56758583, URGENT, Engineering Education, Gender, Migration background, Belonging, Engineering Identity, Future percpetion, LESEC, ETHER

Abstract:

The engineering field faces two significant challenges: a shortage of engineers and a lack of diversity among them. To address these issues, increasing diversity within engineering can provide a larger talent pool, benefiting both the shortage and diversity concerns. Our research highlights distinct problems leading to an underrepresentation of both women and people with a migration background. Women often do not feel like they belong in engineering and struggle to identify with the field, while students with migration backgrounds encounter difficulties during their engineering studies. To enhance the sense of belonging and engineering identity among a more diverse group of students, a mixed-method approach is used. This approach involves (1) assessing how students and secondary education pupils perceive their belonging in engineering and their connection to the engineering profession through a survey and interviews; and (2) implementing targeted interventions where needed. These interventions aim to foster a more inclusive environment where students from diverse backgrounds feel like they belong and proudly embrace their engineering identity.