HRUC celebrates International Women in Engineering Day

To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC) is highlighting some of the fantastic staff members who are helping to break down barriers and pave the way for the next generation.

Pradeepa Sundaram, Engineering Lecturer at Richmond upon Thames College - she is stnading in front of a bench with equipment on it and large black tubes coming out of it. She is wearing glasses with a teal long sleeve top and cream trousers and a purple lanyard around her neck.Positive role models

Pradeepa Sundaram, Engineering Lecturer at Richmond upon Thames College, said: “I want more girls to get involved in engineering because they bring in new perspectives. We need all kinds of people to make a strong team.”

Kavitha Kandeepan, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technician at Richmond upon Thames College, said: “I’m particularly passionate about supporting women in engineering, as it is still a field where female representation is relatively low. I’m committed to motivating and supporting students, and to being a positive role model for women.”

Create changeKavitha - Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technician at Richmond upon Thames College. She is outside with green grass behind her, wearing a green top with white spots and glasses.

When asked what advice they would give to aspiring female engineers, Pradeepa and Kavitha encouraged them to attend college open days, ask more questions, do their own research into the industry, and not be afraid to ask for help.

Kavitha said: “If you study, you can create change, because education is a tool. Education can change everything.”

Driving innovation

HRUC is encouraging students across the country to take an interest in engineering through the National Innovation Challenge (NIC), which encourages young people to design innovations to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.

Thiloshini Ellary-Bachu, Senior Chief Engineer at Amazon, is one of this year’s judges of the NIC.

She said: "On International Women in Engineering Day, I’m proud to celebrate the women driving innovation and solving real-world challenges through engineering. Working with HRUC as a judge for the NIC and supporting students through the Mini-Project programme has been particularly rewarding. Supporting the next generation of engineers is exciting to me as I see them grow in confidence, develop new skills and apply their creativity to complex problems."

To find out more about HRUC’s Engineering courses, visit:

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