The initiative designed to increase the percentage of women within the organisation’s senior management team to 40%.
The award, which was presented at a ceremony at Engineers Ireland’s headquarters in Dublin yesterday, is a leading indicator of excellence for employers of engineering professionals and is given for demonstrations of exceptional commitment to continuous professional development. Gas Networks Ireland is one of over 100 leading engineering-led organisations that holds the Engineers Ireland CPD Employer Standard, a benchmark for Learning and Development excellence, innovation and best practice.
Gas Networks Ireland’s Director of People Nicola McSweeney, expressed the company’s pride in receiving the award:
“We are honoured to be recognised by Engineers Ireland for our Female Development Programme. At Gas Networks Ireland, we value diversity and understand that energised and engaged people are key to driving innovation and success. Our Female Development Programme is an important step towards creating a more inclusive workforce, and we are delighted to see the positive impact it has had on our employees. This recognition reinforces our commitment to fostering a supportive environment where women in engineering can thrive.”
Recognising the challenges with respect to female representation at senior management levels, Gas Network Ireland’s Female Development Programme aims to support female employees in progressing to senior leadership roles across the organisation and is open to employees at all levels of the company. The programme applies best practice Learning and Development methodologies, and approaches, supporting almost 80 women to date across the company to develop their leadership and personal competences.
Emma McQuiggan, Design Delivery Lead at Gas Networks Ireland and is also on the NI committee for the Pipeline Industries Guild, shared her experience: “The Female Development Programme has been an invaluable experience, offering a tailored approach to career development. The workshops on leadership, emotional intelligence and communication have been instrumental in helping me to realise my full potential. I’m grateful for the network of support it has created within the company.”
Speaking after the award, Engineers Ireland’s Director General, Damien Owens, said: “Gas Network Ireland’s Female Development Programme is vital to help female employees in building their careers in a discipline that has traditionally had low female participation, while the success achieved by it in such a short timeframe is testament to the commitment Gas Network Ireland has made to its implementation. We are proud to name the organisation as our CPD Employer of the Year, given its exemplary performance in this area.”
Cathal Marley, CEO of Gas Networks Ireland added: “The CPD Employer Standard has enabled Gas Networks Ireland to develop a strategic focus on CPD initiatives resulting in learning and development initiatives that are fully aligned with our strategy and values. The accreditation process allows the organisation to benchmark against leading engineering-led employers, and to develop best-in-class initiatives.
“Holding the Engineers Ireland CPD Employer Standard allows us to demonstrate to clients, our employees and future employees that we invest in developing the best in engineering talent.”
