Lack of women in engineering "a disgrace" says JLR technical chief

Jose Lopes branded the sector's male bias "a disgrace" during a parliamentary reception hosted by sector skills council Semta. Lopes said: "Personally I think it's a disgrace only 8% of the workforce in engineering are women. This is not just a problem we have in the UK as in Germany it's around 16%." Lopes paid homage to a co-project with Semta that has helped develop future leaders among female employees at Jaguar Land Rover. Over 120 female staff have enrolled on the leadership programme, Lopes said. The course includes individual development programmes and confidence building tips, he added. Lopes said: "We believe the project is part of the reason we were named in The Times top 50 Employers for Women list." Lopes is responsible for developing engineering skills and competencies in his job role at JLR. The comments came as he spoke at a Semta parliamentary reception to mark successful projects between the skills council and industry. Speakers from Case New Holland and W H Tildesley also highlighted how working with Semta had seen them satisfy a skills demand.