Photonics firm signs up to Equality Commission STEM Charter

YELO is an electronic test equipment manufacturer which operates out of a 25,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Carrickfergus.

This is home to a team of 50, working in a range of STEM related roles such as mechanical design, electronic engineering, and software development.

By signing up to the Charter, YELO is committing to support gender diversity and equality and to increasing the participation and progression of women in its workplace.

Only 15% of people working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) are women at present. Encouraging more women and girls to take up careers in STEM would help solve Northern Ireland’s skills shortage and give women access to well-paid and rewarding careers.

Dr Evelyn Collins, Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said: “We find it really encouraging that companies such as YELO are making this voluntary commitment to support and encourage women in their industry.

“Women with the right qualifications and experience can now enter careers which were previously male preserves. I know YELO is participating in WISE NI, launched in October 2020, which is important so that girls know at an early stage the full range of career paths open to them. Once women are working in STEM roles, support and encouragement are crucial to ensure they feel comfortable and able to carry out both their family and child-rearing responsibilities as well as their work responsibilities.

“I think that women will increasingly take up STEM careers when they see role models and we’re delighted that YELO has provided us with the excellent example of Judith Bell as one of our series of case studies involving women already working in STEM.”

Dr Collins continued: “It’s vital that bright girls and women with an aptitude for STEM subjects are inspired to see careers in the sector as an attractive option and that’s why liaison with schools and colleges, including offering high quality internships as YELO does, is so important.”

YELO Chief Executive Officer Richard Furey explained: “We have a number of women already working at YELO in various roles, such as mechanical design, software and manufacturing. We also regularly take university students on one-year placements and currently have two female students from Queen’s University and Ulster University undertaking engineering placements with us this year.

“Yelo is a family orientated business committed to supporting our staff so they can cover family commitments. We do this in various ways by offering flexible working and remote working as well as maternity/paternity leave. Each individual staff member has different circumstances so we always try to accommodate them as best we can.”

The Equality Commission STEM Charter initiative aims to raise the profile of women in industry, highlighting their successes and providing a forum for them to meet others in similar roles through events.

YELO’s Judith Bell, who is an electronic engineer working in the research and development department at Yelo added: “Becoming an engineer has encouraged my sense of curiosity and I am always driven to learn more. I have enjoyed being able to research the theory and to apply it in practice, in design, testing, repair and modification. There is such a diverse range of disciplines in engineering. I’d encourage anyone, regardless of gender, to get involved, especially creative folk, problem-solvers and those of us with a million and one questions about how the world works.”

For details on how your company can get involved go to: www.equalityni.org/STEM

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you