Steph McGovern Launches Women in Engineering Scholarship

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Broadcaster, journalist, and author Steph McGovern has made a heartfelt return to her Teesside roots to kick off an exciting new scholarship program aimed at boosting the number of women stepping into the engineering field.

The Steph McGovern Women in Engineering Scholarship, brought to life by Enginuity, is set to support every first-year, full-time female engineering student at Teesside University. This initiative is made possible thanks to a generous £44,000 funding from Enginuity, the engineering skills charity.

The scholarship was officially launched during a special event at the University’s Digital Life Building, where the first group of scholars discovered that they would receive ongoing support from Steph McGovern throughout their academic journey.

Before she became a well-known broadcaster, the Middlesbrough-born presenter worked as an engineer at Black & Decker, where she earned the Young Engineer for Britain award at just 19 years old. Since then, she has been a passionate advocate for increasing access to engineering careers. In recognition of her remarkable contributions, she was honored with an Honorary Doctorate in Professional Achievement by Teesside University in 2013.

At the launch event, Steph McGovern expressed her excitement, saying:

“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to help make this happen. If we want to create a better world for everyone, we need more women involved in designing, building, and running it — and to me, that means we need more female engineers.

“There are so many unnecessary hurdles that women face on their journey to a fulfilling career, whether they’re financial, prejudicial, or simply the result of peer pressure. If there’s anything I can do to help break down some of those barriers, it brings me immense joy.”

This scholarship marks a significant collaboration between Teesside University, Enginuity, and Steph McGovern, all focused on tackling the ongoing under-representation of women in engineering. As of 2025, women made up only 16.9% of the engineering workforce, compared to 56% in other professions.

Professor Mark Simpson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor Designate at Teesside University, said:

“Empowering students to thrive and embracing diversity are at the heart of Teesside University’s mission and values.

“We are delighted to partner with Steph and Enginuity to deliver this outstanding scholarship, which will support greater diversity in engineering and ensure that more female students have the opportunities, encouragement and resources they need to succeed.

“This scholarship sends a powerful message about the talent within the Tees Valley and the importance of widening participation in STEM subjects.”

Ann Watson, Chief Executive of Enginuity, who is herself from Teesside, described the partnership as a powerful collaboration that will help address the challenge of increasing female participation in engineering.

“Steph is a fantastic role model and deeply understands the barriers women face when entering our vital sector. She is the ideal ambassador for this initiative.

“There is significant investment across the region to support advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and carbon capture. To regenerate this industrial heartland, these projects need one essential ingredient — skills.

” Industry is in desperate need of a strong pipeline of skilled people, and encouraging more women into engineering is not only the right thing to do, but an absolute necessity.

“As someone who grew up on Teesside and was the first in my family to attend university — at Teesside University — I know first-hand the life-changing impact scholarships like this can have in opening the doors to higher education.”

The programme will run throughout the academic year, providing students with financial assistance, mentoring opportunities and continued professional support from Steph McGovern.

Steph marked the launch by meeting the seven female students in the first cohort of scholarship recipients and recording her popular podcast Steph on Skills, powered by Enginuity.