Country Pays Female Gas Engineers
When it comes to jobs in the oil and gas industry, female engineers are a rarity. This is partly because of the stereotype that engineering is a ‘male thing’ and is seen as a very physical job that many women may not be well-suited to. But also because the oil and gas industry has struggled to attract female talent in the past, and is facing increasing pressure to address this.
It’s not just in the oil and gas sector where women are underrepresented, but across the wider industry as a whole. According to a report by McKinsey, only a third of entry-level employees in the industry are female, and there is a need to encourage more young people into the field. Luckily, there are plenty of things that companies can do to encourage more female heating and gas engineers into the trades.
In fact, one of the best places to start would be with education and apprenticeships. Research by British Gas found that over 70% of girls were not encouraged into a trade at school, instead being advised to pursue careers in beauty, childminding or nursing. This is a real shame because trades such as plumbing and heating engineering can be incredibly fulfilling for both men and women.
Which Country Pays Female Gas Engineers the Most?
For example, the flexibility of working hours that come with this type of work can help with balancing work and family life. And the satisfaction of helping a vulnerable customer during a cold snap is hugely rewarding for many.
But perhaps the biggest reason for why more people aren’t becoming engineers is the lack of role models who can show them that this is a career that they can excel in. Fortunately, there are more and more women in the UK who are making a name for themselves as plumbers, heating engineers and beyond. And it is important to get more of them talking about their experiences so that other young people might be inspired to follow in their footsteps.
Of course, if more people do decide to become engineers, there will be an increased demand for them in the UK. And with an ageing workforce, it is more than time that we had a bigger pool of talent to draw upon.
The UK has a number of different qualifications that are needed to be a fully qualified engineer, including an ACS certificate (which is required to do any work with gas appliances). There is more information about these requirements here.
The countries with the highest paying female engineers for this occupation are Germany, Sweden and Italy. The average salary for a gas engineer in these countries is £22,537, with Germany offering the most at £31,500. This is followed by Sweden with £21,725 and Italy with £20,953. The UK is not far behind these countries with an average of £18,076. This is a good salary, but it is not the most generous in Europe. It is important to keep this in mind when looking at other countries.