The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the largest global organization in support of the advancement of women in engineering, organized its fourth annual conference and career fair in Bengaluru. The three-day event was held at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center.
WE Local India, Bengaluru, the localized version of SWE’s annual conference and career fair, was conducted with the aim to provide the opportunity for women in engineering to advance in their careers, connect with like-minded professionals, learn life and work skills, and network with job recruiters.
The conference commenced on 11th April with a keynote address from Sabina Nawaz (Nawaz Consulting, LLC.) on dealing with negativity and achieving goals, and concluded on 12th April with an interactive session / closing keynote from Smita Tharoor (Tharoor Associates) on understanding unconscious bias and emotional resilience, and building personal strategies to enhance and empower oneself in the workplace. On 13th April, there was a free and open-to-the-public career fair with 20+ major engineering and technology companies exhibiting and recruiters interviewing job candidates onsite. Some of these names included Caterpillar, GM, IBM, Intel, Shell, Tata Communications, John Deere and Honeywell.
The event also comprised plenary panel discussions, educational sessions, and workshops on strategic leadership, self-management and career management, to cater to women in all stages of their careers, from collegiate to entry-level, seasoned and retired, to help them sharpen their engineering skills while enhancing their careers.
“WE Local is a platform to provide an opportunity for women in engineering to meet with like-minded individuals and become part of a growing network. The core objective is to inspire and prepare them to take the next step in their professional journeys. These events aim to bring together women in all stages of their collegiate and professional journey to experience the excitement, energy and learning environment of SWE’s professional and personal development events,” said Karen Horting, executive director and CEO of SWE.
