Every engineer needs to be visible for outreach work to have impact
We celebrated Elena Rodriguez-Falcon as the recipient of the Princess Royal’s WISE Lifetime Achievement Award at the WISE Awards earlier this year.
Ahead of her talk at the WISE Conference on 30 September 2025, where she will address how outreach work is overdue a change in approach, we caught up with her for a preview of her talk.
Your talk will focus on new approaches to outreach work. Where do you feel current outreach efforts have fallen short, and are there any solutions that can be easily adopted?
All types of outreach rely heavily on the minority groups they aim to engage with, which is, on the one hand, ineffective — as those groups are, by definition, small in number — and on the other, unfair, as the expectation is always placed on them.
In my view, current outreach work has fallen short in engaging the majority, and in fostering collaboration. Educational charities, corporates, small businesses, and other educational institutions all do some form of outreach, each trying to do ‘their bit’ to encourage young people into STEM careers — particularly young girls, who may not see role models that reflect them.
But these efforts are all ‘moments in time’ and, on their own, will not create the change we need. We must do this in collaboration — by location, by sector, and by diversity — if we are serious about encouraging social mobility.
This is where, in my experience, that Industrial Cadets can play a key role, acting as the ‘glue’ that connects young people to a journey of outreach through many different organisations, helping to deliver the kind of long-term impact we all know is needed.
I also believe we must be braver and bolder in how we describe these professions. For example, engineering is still misunderstood, and although we’ve tried a thousand and one different things to shift perceptions, they have only made a small dent.
A few years ago, I went to the newspapers with a controversial idea — not to rename the profession, but to raise awareness of it — and I had an overwhelmingly positive response. It made me realise just how important language is: the way we speak about these careers, how we showcase the solutions they offer, how role models present themselves, and the part the media plays in all of this.
What do you think is the one thing today’s engineers can do to help encourage more of the next generation of girls into STEM careers?
Every single engineer — regardless of sector, seniority, background or gender — must make themselves and their work visible. Whether your work is improving lives, making things easier or more affordable, whatever it is — get it out there.
Use the many media platforms available and amplify your message. Showcase your value, and the value of these noble professions. As one wise person once said to me: “If you don’t communicate it, it doesn’t exist.”
And of course — please volunteer. Show how you are contributing to the world of STEM, and what difference you are making. Inspire young people firsthand about the possibilities ahead of them.
What are you most looking forward to about the WISE Conference?
I’m looking forward to learning from others, and to creating — together — a collision of like-minded people who are ready to shake up the world of outreach. I believe we can do it. I know we can do it — if only we dare to do things differently.
Elena will be speaking at the WISE Conference 2025, which takes place on 30 September at IET London: Savoy Place.
Focusing on the theme of accelerating the pace of change for women in STEM, the event is open to all.
