A dedicated development programme for women landed Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) a prestigious Engineers Ireland award recently, and its director of people Nicola McSweeney, in an interview with the Engineers Journal, has described how winning it is a “fantastic endorsement of our investment in our people – and, in particular, our engineering talent”.
GNI received the Engineers Ireland continuing professional development (CPD) Employer of the Year Award for pioneering its Female Development Programme, an initiative designed to increase the percentage of women within the organisation’s senior management team to 40%.
Leading indicator of excellence
The award is a leading indicator of excellence for employers of engineering professionals and is given for demonstrations of exceptional commitment to continuous professional development. GNI is one of more than 100 leading engineering-led organisations that holds the Engineers Ireland CPD Employer Standard, a benchmark for learning and development excellence, innovation and best practice.
Recognising the challenges with respect to female representation at senior management levels, GNI’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.
Director of people Nicola McSweeney and Cathal Marley, CEO, of Gas Networks Ireland.
McSweeney, on receiving the award, said: “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 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.”
Emma McQuiggan, design delivery lead at GNI, shared her experience and commented: “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.”
'Help female employees in building their careers'
Engineers Ireland 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.”
What does this award mean to GNI?
We are absolutely delighted to accept this award from Engineers Ireland. It is a fantastic endorsement of our investment in our people (and in particular our engineering talent) and we’re so pleased that our Gas Networks Ireland Female Leaders CPD Programme has been recognised in this manner.
Winning the award demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and the investment we place in our people.
Building an inclusive, equitable and diverse workforce is critical for our organisation to achieve our business results today and to deliver a fully decarbonised gas network by 2045 as set out in our Pathway to a Net Zero Carbon Network.
How do you invest in talent through Engineers Ireland CPD accreditation process?
The process of maintaining accreditation to the standard has provided us with the opportunity to reevaluate the effectiveness of our CPD initiatives and investments and identify potential gaps.
The recommendations from the Engineers Ireland audits are invaluable in terms of forward planning for engineering skills and talent development. It reassures our staff that we are committed to providing them with an environment to learn and develop and expand their careers at GNI.
At Gas Networks Ireland, we believe that our engineers are at the core of our business and their learning and development is critical for the long-term future of our organisation, particularly as we embark on an exciting journey to replace natural gas with renewable gases like biomethane and green hydrogen.
Accreditation to Engineers Ireland CPD Employer Standard has enabled us to align our business objectives and our learning objectives.
Why was the Female Leadership programme developed?
Our female development programme is a core part of our strategic plan, and we are very much focused on providing our female engineering talent with the opportunity to developing career pathways which may result in taking on more senior and leadership roles.
In addition to our vibrant and highly active ibelong Women’s Network, this programme provides our female engineers with a network of colleagues across various roles and departments which will enhance their time in the organisation.
What was the approach?
The framework for the programme provides a mix of in-person development days, peer learning opportunities, masterclasses with guest speakers, psychometrics with 1-1 coaching feedback and self-directed learning opportunities. Themes included 'Authentic self-promotion', 'confident communication styles', 'emotional intelligence', 'building exceptional relationships' and 'CV & Interview skills'.
The pilot programme was advertised through our internal communications channels with an information session describing the programme made available to all. The application process was open to all female employees across all sectors of the business. The number of participants selected was appropriate to pillar size.
An internal mentoring panel was created to ensure that each participant had the support of a mentor throughout the programme.
The pilot programme was assessed and reviewed with a graduation ceremony where participants had the opportunity to describe their journey and outcomes following the experience.
Peer coaching sessions which are introduced during the programme will also continue afterwards to support the development of peer learning networks in our business.
What are the results?
The success of the programme has resulted in another 40 employees taking part in 2024. Some participants of the pilot programme have put themselves forward as mentors for this new group.
While there have been some participants making internal lateral moves and some being promoted, we do not expect to see the full impact of introducing a programme like this for many years. We look forward to a more balanced workforce in the future.
We hope that this programme, along with our full learning and development opportunities encourages more females with STEM backgrounds to join Gas Networks Ireland. They will find both a strong engineering network and supportive working environment.
Recommend Engineers Ireland CPD Employer Standard Accreditation
We would highly recommend Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard to other companies as it provides a framework to attract, engage and develop critical talent.
The process of maintaining accreditation to the standard has provided us with the opportunity to reevaluate the effectiveness of our CPD initiatives and investments, identify gaps and the recommendations from the Engineers Ireland audits are invaluable in terms of forward planning for engineering skills and talent development.
Why was it important to have a programme of this nature in place?
We want to build a diverse engineering workforce where all employees feel supported in reaching their career goals. We have development opportunities for all who wish to build their career with Gas Networks Ireland. We have an aggressive strategy which needs employees who can adapt and grow with us and join our already team of 'energised people'.
For other firms looking to develop a similar programme, what advice would you give?
If you feel that a group of people is under-represented in your organisation, a programme like this helps to elevate people by increasing self-awareness and building confidence and creating a sense of community at work which is so important to employee wellbeing.
What do you anticipate will be the key outcomes for GNI from this programme?
We hire great people, and we want them to come on the journey of being at the heart of Ireland’s energy future. Our organisation provides exciting opportunities for those who want to deliver an exciting legacy for the country as build and bring move volumes of renewable gas into the €2.8bn, state-owned national gas network.
We recognise that our company will change to meet the needs of our customers and environment, so investing in our people is paramount. We hope that we see participants of this programmes become part of our Leadership team in the future.