Schneider Electric and Uptale are opening the doors of industrial professions to women through a virtual tour

• In industry, women continue to be vastly under-represented with only 30% of the workforce being made up of women.
• In the same spirit as the previous virtual tour on deconstructing prejudices in industry, Schneider Electric and Uptale are focusing this time on the feminization of industrial professions. A major challenge for tomorrow’s industry.
• This interactive 360° experience, presented to middle and high school students, aims to promote diversity in the sector and open up new prospects for future women in industry, from an early age.

Paris, September 10, 2023 – Schneider Electric, the world leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is launching an innovative initiative to encourage the feminization of industrial professions. Through a virtual tour created in partnership with Uptale, the leading player in virtual reality training, the company is committed to breaking down gender stereotypes and opening up new avenues for women in the world of industry.

Tomorrow’s industry will be inclusive: the feminization of industrial professions

Industrial innovations, such as new technologies and modern production processes, have shaped today’s world.

However, amid this progress, one issue remains: the under-representation of women in industrial jobs. The weight of stereotypes, which have persisted for decades, combined with a lack of understanding of the professions, have created barriers for many women, deterring them from considering a career in industry.

This can be seen as early as high school education, where girls are less inclined towards scientific subjects. And this trend continues into higher education, where girls account for just 28% of engineering school students. Progress is slow, as seen in 2009 when only 26.9% of the 32,000 engineering graduates were women.

In the workplace, INSEE figures for 2022 confirm this unsettling reality. Women occupy less than 30% of jobs in industry, a figure that has stagnated for a decade. As a result, they are often confined to support functions in the hierarchical echelons and omitted from design and production. Only 10-15% of them work in production, and female technicians constitute only 8% of the industry’s workforce. This under-representation is unfortunately perpetuated in management positions, with only around 15% of women on executive committees. Key sectors of the fourth industrial revolution, such as information technology, computing, physics, mathematics and engineering, remain particularly affected by this gender disparity.

Yet times are changing, and mentalities must evolve with them. In fact, the industry is aspiring for a new dynamic, where women are as valued as men. Faced with these challenges of parity, recruitment and performance, industry is now committed to the ineluctable feminization of its professions, to build an industrial future where diversity is the spearhead of progress.

Backed by its partnership with Uptale, which creates virtual tours at the heart of its factory in Carros, Schneider Electric aims to change mindsets and feminize the industry.

Uptale has been working with Schneider Electric since 2018 to use virtual reality to deploy attractive, impactful training for all employees. This strategic partnership overcomes the physical constraints of traditional training, helping people learn at their own pace. Thanks to Uptale, Schneider Electric has now set up more than 700 immersive training experiences on subjects such as quality, cybersecurity and electrical risks.

Following the example of the previous experience on the circular economy, Schneider Electric’s education project team distributed this visit to middle and high school students to deconstruct prejudices and encourage industrial vocations. The experience can be accessed on the web, smartphone, tablet or in virtual reality, opening its doors to all young people in search of their career path.

But it’s not enough to arouse interest. Schneider Electric understands the importance of supporting young people throughout their professional integration. Testimonials are a real source of inspiration and motivation to better understand the challenges of our professions. That’s why this inspiring virtual tour allows students to follow the daily life of a technician and an engineer at Schneider Electric in the first person. For Corinne Derboeuf, Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Quality of Life at Work at Schneider Electric France, this initiative is particularly important:

Diversity, equity and inclusion have long been anchored in the company’s DNA. Corinne Derboeuf explains:

« Our commitment to diversity is one of the cornerstones of our social policy. It is supported by all Schneider Electric teams, which makes it a strength. The feminization of industrial professions is one of the major challenges of this equal opportunities policy. It is essential to seek out and help develop this pool of skills, a source of growth and performance for the company. »

But the project doesn’t stop there. Schneider Electric, an industrial company where 30% of employees are women, is part of a global initiative to promote women in technical professions. A network of more than 100 women engineers and technicians, ambassadors for technical training, visit schools, colleges and high schools in France to encourage people to discover their professions and encourage new vocations.
L’engagement en faveur de la diversité et de l’inclusion se traduit chez Schneider Electric en actions concrètes depuis 2006, avec la formalisation de politiques inclusives, le déploiement d’une culture et de valeurs fortes dans ce domaine.

Schneider Electric’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been reflected in concrete actions since 2006, with the formalization of inclusive policies and the deployment of a strong culture and values in this area.

«  This commitment is reflected in everything we do, in every recruitment, training, communication and management action. It is carried through to the highest levels of the organization: the COMEX has already reached, with almost 41% women, the target of 40% parity set by the Rixain law for executive bodies by March 1, 2029. » concludes Corinne Derboeuf. All these initiatives reflect the company’s commitment to making the industry a land of opportunity for new generations.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

About Uptale

Uptale is a Digital Learning solution to digitalize field training through virtual reality. The solution helps any organization to digitize its environments and know-how in the form of immersive, educational and interactive 360° experiences. Today, Uptale is used by more than 200 companies, including Schneider Electric, to develop the practice of Immersive Learning on a large scale in complete autonomy.