As a long-term sponsor of the Women and Work All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), Assystem is committed to the APPG’s mission of engaging the UK Government and policymakers about the issues limiting women’s role in the economy today.
To take stock of this mission, the APPG has released its latest annual report, which, among other topics, highlights how Assystem and the APPG are working together to examine how more girls can be supported to pursue STEM subjects at GCSE and beyond and STEM-focused technical training pathways to achieve gender balance in the UKs STEM industries.
Engineering the Future: Women Leading STEM event
On International Women in Engineering Day 2025, Assystem partnered with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Women and Work to host its first “Engineering the Future: Women Leading STEM” event. The event gathered key voices from across the UK engineering and nuclear landscape to discuss tangible actions around how to bring women to the forefront of the UK nuclear and wider STEM Industries.
The event formed part of the APPG’s 2025 programme of activity to push for policy changes that will help unlock funding and support to advance the cause for more girls and women in STEM.
As part of the discussion, Assystem identified several key findings, which are geared towards establishing pathways for women into technical and senior positions to help create the diverse and robust workforce that is needed to deliver critical energy infrastructure projects worldwide:
- Women face disproportionate risks from AI due to underrepresentation and sectoral vulnerability. Speakers underscored that women’s full participation in science, engineering, and technology is essential for driving national productivity and ensuring the UK’s clean energy transition is both inclusive and effective.
- Early education and visible role models are key to inspiring future generations. increasing girls’ participation in physics and maths requires inclusive teaching, accessible curricula, and greater visibility of women succeeding in STEM. Encouraging engagement at school level is critical to doubling the number of women entering engineering degrees.
- Cultural and structural reform is needed to advance women’s leadership. Despite growing awareness, women in STEM continue to face barriers to progression. Sponsorship by senior leaders, targeted retraining opportunities, and inclusive workplace policies were identified as essential to building gender-balanced leadership pipelines, particularly in high growth sectors like nuclear energy
Read more about the Women and Work APPG’s 2025 report here: Women and Work Report
