The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: My Top 5 Organisations Supporting Women in Tech and Project Management

I studied a degree in Engineering and Business Studies and graduated in 1990, when at that time the percentage of women in engineering was around 11% (1). I completed an MBA in 2017 and submitted my dissertation about women returners to technical roles and I was really shocked to discover as part of my research that the 11% had changed to …11% (2)! No change over those 17 years since I had graduated.

At the time of writing this post, in 2026, the figure is now 16.9% (3), so the conclusion I have drawn is that not too much has changed over the 36 years since I graduated! However, things are finally moving in the right direction, although progress has been slow. I was really disappointed to hear that my daughter was the only female in her A-level Computer Science class in 2022 – took me right back to when I was the only female in a Geometric and Engineering (Tech Drawing) drawing O-Level class back in 1985.

In my current role as a trainer for the Project Management Qualification (PMQ) the awarding body (the Association of Project Management – APM) made an update to the PMQ in September 2024 and I was really pleased to see the inclusion of a handful of new topics, one of which was Diversity and Inclusion.

In a recent report by the PMI ‘The State of Women in Project Management’ – 88% of project professionals said that having diverse project teams increases value so diversity in terms of women in project management roles can make a significant contribution to that value.

Since I moved from more hands-on production control work into project management and more recently into training, I have always found project management to be a really inclusive and welcoming world for women, with room for both men and women at the table. The knowledge, skills and experience that are central to successful project management are not gender-specific.

I was really interested to read recently about the launch of a Women in Tech taskforce, to help more women enter, stay and lead in the UK’s tech sector (4) as this was the subject of my MBA thesis.

In the spirit of keeping things moving in the right direction, I thought it might be useful to bring together my top 5 signposts to some organisations and events that currently support not only women in project management but women in any kind of technical role, here in the UK and overseas.

Traditionally male-dominated industries such as engineering and construction have over time evolved to welcome women project managers and the popularity of the WiPM (Women in Project Management) conference is a great testament to this evolution.

WES has been in existence since 1919, and brings with it an amazing heritage. WES is a charity and a network of women engineers and they work to support the engineering industry to be inclusive. WES run a programme of events throughout the year. These include the Annual Conference in April (5) and a Student and Apprentice Conference in November as well as Cluster and Partner events.

This is a network to support women at any stage in their career. I like that they are championing the creation of inclusive pathways.

A virtual conference that runs from 12 to 15 May 2026, with an international panel of prestigious speakers. I always take a lot away from listening to inspiring career journeys.

They offer a mentoring scheme among other things. I am a huge advocate of mentoring, as having access to a mentor can help women develop technical skills, leadership confidence, and clarity around career direction, especially in a fast-moving and competitive sector. We need to “see it to be it”.

I hope that the list contains one of two that are new to you, that you might like to find a bit more about.

I still have hope that it’s not a case of “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, as was the case for my daughter with A-Level Computer Science, and that continued progress towards a more inclusive world of work for women in any technical or engineering role is achievable.

Do you know of any other great organisations that support women in technical industries?

Please feel free to connect with me on Linkedin: Lisa Regan MBA MAPM | LinkedIn

References

1. https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/women-in-project-management-2023
2. https://www.wes.org.uk/about/
3. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/1997/demo/sp85.pdf
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-women-in-tech-taskforce
5. APM Women in Project Management Conference 2025 | Transform Tomorrow