Nurturing ambition, inspiring future engineers
Published: 02 January, 2025
Sonia Farrokhpanah, Principal Process Engineer at Air Products, discusses the importance of
getting the basics right to recruit, retain, and inspire engineers - both men and women - while
fostering enthusiasm and a sense of value in the workplace
As a Research Engineer at Air Products, I’ve had the privilege of working on cutting-edge fields like sustainable hydrogen production that aims to generate a cleaner future. But my journey into engineering and the lessons I’ve learned along the way go far beyond technical skills. I’ve realised just how much the values and environment we grow up and learn in – and the support we receive – can shape our career choices and aspirations, especially when it comes to engaging with challenging fields like science and engineering.
Nurturing the right values
In my current role, as part of an amazing team of engineers, I lead research and development on minimising the impacts of hydrogen production on the environment. We have developed and optimised the technology Air Products uses to produce hydrogen with low carbon intensity. My work involves everything from process design to technological innovation and engaging with colleagues from different disciplines. To be effective, one needs to bring vision, dynamism and creativity to the role and cultivate relationships to enable productive outcomes. While I enjoy these elements in my job, I also know that I’m doing work that makes a difference to our world, and this motivates me even further.
This point is key. Engineering requires a real diversity of skills – from discipline in following industry standards and safe practices to using creativity to innovate winning solutions. But what all engineering roles share is an opportunity to effectively use our ambition and knowledge for the greater good.
Does this concept of ‘greater good’ or ‘making a difference’ really matter? I believe it does, yes, quite simply because it can allow us to attract talent in the first place. Research by the Columbia Business School earlier this year, for example, found that women are much more likely to do jobs with a “greater prosocial impact”. But regardless of gender, we must emphasise the potential of engineering to provide strength of purpose, challenge, reward and fulfilment in the workplace. If people want to feel excited to get out of the bed in the morning, then engineering has the capacity to provide that!
Providing inspiration and guidance
Part of that, of course, means equipping the next generation with proper knowledge and insight about what an engineering career can really offer. I grew up in an environment where the positive impact of professionals with STEM background on the society was very much talked about. That environment developed figures like mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to receive the Fields Medal, the equivalent of the noble prize in mathematics. I made an effort to excel in maths and science subjects and it built the foundation that eventually led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in Amir-Kabir University of Technology in Tehran and later a PhD in process integration at the University of Manchester.
Individuals like Maryam with their unique stories still inspire me to keep learning and applying myself to make an impact. We need more leaders in the sector to be more proactive about their role in inspiring the next generation, the newcomers to the sector and even their own colleagues. We need them to talk about their work, how they got to those positions of leaderships, what challenges they faced and overcame, and the contributions they made in their field. This would show their resilience and galvanise those who are inspired by their experiences.
Creating the right culture to retain skills and talent in the workplace
What’s also become clear to me throughout my career is that ambitions need mentoring – because if attracting the right talent to engineering is hard, retaining this talent is no easier. And the data around retention of women in engineering is disheartening. The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Women’s Engineering Society found that majority of female engineers – 57% – quit the profession before they reached the age of 45 – compared to only 17% of men.
There’s a raft of measures that can help improve retention rates, and creating the right culture in the workplace is a big one. An environment where a diverse workforce – men, women, old hands and newcomers – feels valued is crucial. ‘
Belong and Matter’ plays a significant part in Air Products’ employee value proposition – so inclusion is incredibly important to us, but why? The answer is simple - we know that people only share their insight and experience to the full when they feel safe in a work culture, when they feel they belong and that their contribution is needed for the collective success as a business.
Of course, we should recognise and celebrate differences, because of the fresh perspectives they offer but equally, I always tell myself that regardless of gender, ethnicity, background and so on, we are all ‘just human’ and should fundamentally support each other in that vein.
We run a variety of initiatives including employee resource groups (ERGs) set up to support networking, build connections with peers, connect with role models in the company, understand issues, seek solutions for challenges and implement lessons learned. Senior leaders across the group head these ERGs, but the ownership of these groups is very much in the hands of its membership because we find that a simultaneous top-down and bottom-up approach is best for maximum engagement.
This culture of positivity and support is something I have experienced first-hand. I have faced tough challenges in my personal life in recent years. But thanks to the support of my colleagues and the leadership in Air Products, I have had some of my most fulfilling career experiences over this time. Interesting opportunities and encouragement helped me to continue to grow in the career I am passionate about.
The brightest future
I love what I do, and I love the realm of engineering – we are providing elegant solutions to complex problems; we are boundary pushers and determined to find better, more efficient ways of doing things. It is exciting to live at a time when revolutions in technology such as AI is empowering engineers to accelerate their route to solutions for global challenges such as climate change. I’d say this puts engineering skills in the sharpest of focuses and demand.
Dynamism, discipline, effective communication, and a hunger to learn and develop new skills means while engineering isn’t easy, it certainly isn’t boring. Add to that the fact that according to an Engineering UK report, 25% of all job postings in the UK are for engineering roles, and there’s a real opportunity ahead.
This demand for engineers is expected to grow faster than any other occupation, with an additional 173,000 jobs projected by 2030. The reality is, there are very few sectors that can go without recruiting engineers to optimise their processes, increase efficiencies, and support progress to net zero. For anyone exploring engineering as a career, then, I’d say the world is your oyster
https://www.linkedin.com/company/air-products/
