The Final Word by Helen Roush

Helen Roush, Executive Vice President of Paperitalo Publications

The Final Word by Helen Roush

Recruiting the next generation of female engineers

Just this week, Södra announced that it is one of the main sponsors of Introduce a Girl to Engineering day (IGEday) -- an initiative by the organization Womengineer that aims to increase interest in technology and engineering among teenage girls.

Södra is a gold partner for IGEday and is throwing open the doors of its three pulp mills in Värö, Mörrum and Mönsterås in Sweden as well as the head office in Växjö on 29 March. The participants encompass girls and non-binary teenagers aged 13-19. This initiative is fully aligned with Södra's sustainability target -- namely that by 2020, at least 30 percent of Södra employees should be women.

We applaud Södra for its initiative. Look at pulp and paper college programs around the United States and you'll find many talented women in these programs who will be leaders in our industry in the very near future. Recruiting and developing top talent -- male and female -- is always a win-win situation.

For more on Introduce a Girl to Engineering day, click here.

Helen Roush is Executive Vice President of Paperitalo Publications.