A Growth Engine for Europe

Many engineering and technology businesses would like to see more young women working in their field. Yet currently, the uptake for Engineering and Computer Science courses at French universities among this demographic is very low. In order to address this, training organisations, higher education institutions and businesses have joined forces to establish Elles bougent – a network of women in engineering and technology – to engage, inspire and support high school and university students. Leah, a third-grade student from Paris, explains, “I had never thought about becoming an engineer as this seemed too complicated for me. After attending events organised by Elles bougent, and speaking with female engineers as well as engineering students, I realised this would be a very exciting academic route to pursue. So this is what led me to apply to an Engineering School.” Google has been a member of Elles bougent since 2014 and provides the network with engineers from the Google office in Paris. They participate in events across the country, which enable female engineering students to visit companies and meet engineers and other computer science students who share their passion. Together Elles bougent and Google are also co-hosting events for younger girls to give them the opportunity to explore different careers in digital technology.