Steph McGovern launches new scholarship

Pictured right: Steph McGovern, Ann Watson and scholarship recipients

Steph McGovern, the broadcaster, journalist and author, recently returned to Teesside to launch a major new initiative designed to increase the number of women entering the engineering profession. The Steph McGovern Women in Engineering Scholarship, powered by Enginuity, will provide financial and mentoring support to every first‑year, full‑time female engineering student at Teesside University, backed by £44,000 of funding from Enginuity, the engineering skills charity.

The announcement was made at a special event in the University’s Digital Life Building, where the inaugural scholars learned that they would also receive ongoing personal support from Ms McGovern throughout their studies. Before moving into broadcasting, the Middlesbrough‑born presenter worked as an engineer at Black & Decker, winning the Young Engineer for Britain award at just 19. She continues to champion widening access to engineering careers and received an Honorary Doctorate in Professional Achievement from Teesside University in 2013.

Steph said: “I cannot tell you how delighted I am to help make this happen. If we want to make the world a better place for everyone, we need more women involved in the designing, making and running of it and to me that means more female engineers. There are so many unnecessary barriers women have to overcome to get on the right path to a rewarding career, whether financial, prejudicial, ignorance or pure peer pressure — so anything that I can do to tear one or two of them down brings me untold joy.”

The scholarship is a partnership between Enginuity, Teesside University and Ms McGovern, created to address the persistent under‑representation of women in engineering. National figures show that in 2025 only 16.9% of the engineering workforce were women, compared with 56% across other occupations.

Professor Mark Simpson, deputy vice-chancellor and vice-chancellor designate at Teesside University, added: “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 fantastic scholarship which will support greater diversity in engineering and ensure that more female students have the opportunities, encouragement and resources to succeed. This scholarship sends a powerful message about the talent we have in the Tees Valley and the importance of widening participation in STEM.”

Enginuity’s CEO Ann Watson described the partnership as a powerful collaboration aimed at tackling the long‑standing challenge of increasing the number of female engineers. She said: “Steph is a terrific role model and so tuned in to the barriers that women face entering our crucial sector, who better to be the face and voice of this initiative? There is massive investment in place for the region, to support advanced manufacturing, bio‑tech and carbon capture — we need to help regenerate this industrial heartland by giving these projects the oxygen that skills provide.

“Industry is in desperate need of a flowing pipeline of skilled people and encouraging more women into the system is not just the right thing to do — but an absolute necessity. As someone who grew up on Teesside and the first person in my family to go to university — and that university being Teesside — I know first-hand the life‑changing difference that these scholarships can make.”

The programme will run throughout the academic year, offering financial support, mentoring opportunities and continued engagement with Steph. To mark the launch, she met the first cohort of seven scholarship recipients and recorded an episode of her podcast Steph on Skills – powered by Enginuity.