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2022-08-01

Tawazun Empowers Emirati Women Engineers to Scale New Heights

“I feel very proud when people call me Engineer Bashayer because I earned it, and I worked hard for it”, shared Eng. Bashayer Mohamed Almarzooqi, Associate – Contracts Management, Tawazun, in an interview with Nation Shield. Her words clearly describe the pioneering spirit that has helped her not only advance but thrive in the male-dominated world of engineering. She holds an M.Sc. Engineering Systems and Management and B.Sc. Aerospace engineering from Khalifa University. Moreover, Eng. Almarzooqi has over seven years of experience in the industry, where she has worked as a workshop engineer and in contracts and projects management.

Excerpts from the interview:

The UAE is a model state when it comes to women’s empowerment. Tawazun, too, has a reputation for empowering women. How encouraged do you feel by these factors?

My journey with Tawazun started in 2013. I was a student at Khalifa University, and they sponsored a competition called “Design, Build and Fly”. I still remember meeting Dr. Yehya Al Marzooqi to present our entry and to convince Tawazun to sponsor us. I loved how Tawazun supported us and made our dream come true. They encouraged us to do more than our best and motivated us till the end. From that time, my goal was to work at Tawazun, and now here I am!

Being an engineer means you are constantly tasked with innovative ideas. Do you think this adds too much pressure and affects your work-life balance?

I am an engineer and a working mother. This may not sound easy for many women but being an Emirati woman who studied engineering actually made it better because I received a tremendous amount of support from everywhere. Sometimes balancing my professional and personal life is challenging, especially with children, as I have three of my own. However, I always tell myself that there is no perfect work-life balance.

I am not afraid to ask for help, and my husband is very supportive. I also love my job and enjoy my time working at Tawazun. Therefore, I don’t really feel stressed or under pressure. After all, I am an engineer, and we are always ready to solve problems.

Does a flexible work schedule for female employees help?

Definitely, and especially the married ones. Women are half the society, and they raise the other half. Having a flexible work schedule is something I look for because I want to work, and I love what I am doing. On the other hand, I don’t want to miss watching my nine-month-old daughter’s first steps or my son’s graduation. This flexibility will make sure that I deliver at work, raise my children and be there for them because they are the ones who are going to lead in the future.

Women make up over 25 per cent of the total workforce at Tawazun. Are any special training programmes held for women engineers to upgrade their skills regularly?

Tawazun nurtures us to be better, not just at work. They signed me up for one of their training programmes titled “Certified Project Manager”, which changed my perspective towards myself, my work and my colleagues. It is good to be an engineer but being an engineer with management skills is a bonus. That’s what Tawazun is doing, and because of that, I can see the difference between being an engineer and being an engineer at Tawazun!

What are your suggestions to young women in the country aspiring to make a career in engineering?

Studying engineering is challenging, but eventually, it pays off. The only way to do great is to study what you love like I did, which is the most important thing for me.

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