Women in Building Services Engineering, also known as WiBSE, was set up in 2012 with a number of key strategic aims including to advise and engage with the CIBSE Equality, Inclusion and Diversity (EDI) Panel on all matters relating to the support and needs of women in the industry. 2023 was a busy year for WiBSE, several highlights regarding what they achieved are:
- In February, the LinkedIn page went live with WiBSE private group member numbers growing through the year (they are currently at over 1,655 members). The LinkedIn page following is growing, you can follow them for updates from the Panel members on their activities throughout the year.
- In May, following attendance at the successful Women in Engineering Society annual conference, female engineers were interviewed and an article posted on LinkedIn titled "How do we retain Women Engineers in Industry?"
- June was a busy month –panel member Jess Glynn attended the She Can Engineer event at IMechE to promote the CIBSE STEM Ambassador Scheme, which aims to introduce Building Services Engineering to school children. A successful joint event was held for International Women in Engineering Day, with a panel discussion between WiBSE and YEN London.
- In October WiBSE were represented at the Young Engineers Awards when Jess Glynn took part in a panel discussion, that was hosted by CIBSE CEO Ruth Carter and at the CIBSE Presidents Awards Dinner.
- November saw a flurry of activity with posts about STEM ambassadors, Women’s networking opportunities and focusing on Female Engineer Role Models.
With plans set for 2024 including a focus on:
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion best practice advice guides and tools
- Growing WIBSE membership
- Cross-network collaboration
- Providing support and tools for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace.
Just like all of our networks, WiBSE is reliant on the dedication of volunteers to drive forward work in this important area. Volunteering can be extremely rewarding, the committee members commented on their experience:
"Volunteering for WIBSE has helped me grow my network, improve my knowledge of CIBSE activities and initiatives, and has provided me with hope for a more diverse future. I have felt great pride and enthusiasm for all of the ED&I activities that all CIBSE groups and panels have been involved with. Volunteering for WIBSE is important because we a contributing to an improved awareness and understanding of what an inclusive working environment for all women within the building services industry could be which helps us to work towards a more diverse engineering sector. If you have an interest in promoting and championing an inclusive building services industry, I would recommend getting involved with WIBSE by joining the LinkedIn WIBSE account and interacting with posts and/or applying to become a panel member and help with the many activities we are involved with.”
WiBSE is looking for new committee members, if you are interested in getting involved, please contact [email protected].
There are many other volunteering vacancies across the network which suit a range of skill sets and can fit in with your other responsibilities. For more information on how you can get involved visit Search Volunteering Opportunities | CIBSE