Leading STEM recruitment specialist Matchtech is joining forces with an elite network of companies, including BAE and Leonardo, by signing the prestigious Women in Defence Charter to improve gender balance and open career opportunities for females to succeed at all levels.
Pledging ongoing support to drive change and improve gender balance within the defence sector, Matchtech has announced that it will be partnering with WomenInDefence.Careers (WiD.C) and signing the Women in Defence Charter. The official signing will take place on 13th September, where Matchtech will join WomenInDefence.Careers at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) event in London.
By signing the Charter, Matchtech will commit to building diversity, creating more opportunities, and tackling the skills shortage within the sector, which currently has a shortfall of more than 10,000 new recruits.
More than 75 companies, including QinetiQ, Ultra, and Raytheon have signed the Charter, combining skills and knowledge to aid gender inclusion and diversity through collaboration and sharing leading practices on creating impact to drive change within the sector.
Speaking on the signing, Aidan Wood, Head of Defence & Security at Matchtech says: “We are honoured to be part of such a significant initiative. Like many other STEM industries, defence is facing challenges in recruiting and retaining a balanced and diverse workforce. Women represent just 20% of the entire workforce across both public and private sectors and we’re passionate about playing our part to impact this positively.”
Despite being integral to society, the defence sector remains heavily male-dominated, with women fiercely under-represented. Matchtech is committing to initiatives to proactively drive opportunities on a part-time basis and ensure that opportunities to work in defence have greater appeal to women.
Ultimately, this lack of gender diversity remains one of the key drivers of the skills gap. Besides the fierce global competition, the ageing workforce within the defence sector presents a significant challenge in recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce for future development.
Aidan adds: “Of course, many catalysts are driving the under-representation of women in defence, but I believe that in order to create positive change, we must improve accessibility to opportunities. With our commitment to the Charter, our team at Matchtech will use collective experience to help the defence sector better understand how to improve the job proposition and recruitment process for women with the ultimate aim of enabling more women to find careers in this sector.
“Over the years, we have been instrumental in addressing recruitment challenges across both the defence and overall STEM sectors. We work alongside leading charities and companies to make the industry more accessible and enjoyable for skilled candidates. By signing the Charter, we are making new commitments to open career opportunities for female candidates looking for that next step into defence.”
Rachael Clamp, ChartPR, Director at WomenInDefence.Careers “It’s fantastic when you find an organisation that wants to do good by the people it serves. When Matchtech approached me about working together to help address the chronic shortage of women in the defence enterprise, as well as ensuring that defence was made accessible as a career for all, I couldn’t say no.
“I’m super happy that we have this agreement between WomenInDefence.Careers and Matchtech. Going forward who knows where it will take us? But what we both know is that it will mean a better and more open defence enterprise – for all.”
Established in May 2022, WiD.C is committed to closing the skills gap and diversifying the defence sector, not just for women, but for all. By aligning with Matchtech, WiD.C continues to put the jobseeker first to encourage organisations to advertise roles.
Part of the Gattaca Group, Matchtech has almost 40 years of experience in defence and engineering recruitment and has since become a trusted STEM partner, instrumental in finding solutions to bridge the skills gap and creating more opportunities for the future generation of STEM professionals.
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