Blog

Young female with brown hair wearing a black vest and white long sleeve shirt standing at a table

Oshkosh purpose-built vehicles highlight career opportunities for future engineers

November 13, 2024

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a non-profit organization that empowers professionals and students to find success in engineering or technology-related fields by providing support and resources to network and develop professional skills.

Oshkosh arrived at the 2024 SWE annual conference with purpose, attracting large crowds and sparking insightful discussions on the future of electric vehicles and the significant contributions women at Oshkosh are making in the engineering field. The SWE conference is the largest gathering of women in engineering and technology in North America, providing an unparalleled platform for career advancement, networking and skill-building. This year the event was held at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center from October 24 through October 26 and featured an extensive in-person and virtual career fair, employer-sponsored sessions, cutting-edge tech talks, keynote speakers, specialized luncheons and student competitions. Attendees left inspired and equipped, ready to drive innovation and progress in STEM fields.                         

Our commitment to SWE

Oshkosh is a proud partner of SWE, attending its events and serving as a member of its Corporate Partnership Council. From this, Oshkosh gains valuable tools and insight on how to best support women in STEM, build fostering environments and provide professional development opportunities. Oshkosh showcases its engineering excellence, innovative design and workplace culture for emerging engineers to launch and grow their careers.

As Oshkosh remains committed to increasing representation within women in engineering, it actively supports women in STEM by fostering a supportive environment and providing professional development opportunities.

Our influence on the future

At this year’s SWE booth, Oshkosh met approximately 450 aspiring engineering candidates. “My favorite part was getting to interact with a large group of females that have a common STEM/engineering interest and similar background,” said Sloane Zenner, engineering team member from Oshkosh Defense. “I valued the opportunity to find new professional mentors and in being viewed as one by students that I met with at the conference.”

Oshkosh leverages the SWE annual conference as an opportunity to highlight our exciting projects and recruit for entry and mid-level roles. The conference also allows women at Oshkosh to engage with younger professionals in the field, share their success stories with them and offer insights to women just starting out in engineering.

People having discussions at a large scale tradeshow event for careers
Two young females standing inside a tradeshow booth wearing black vests and jeans

Showcasing innovation and opportunity

Oshkosh exhibited the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) for the U.S. Postal Service during the SWE career fair. One attendee shared, "Oh wow, my dad’s a mail carrier! It’s amazing to see all the thought that went into making this better for both the carriers and pedestrians. He’s going to be so excited when I tell him I got to see the new vehicle up close!"

Bringing a vehicle to the conference was a showstopper for attendees and a highlight for Oshkosh team members. “The excitement for the NGDV was contagious. People loved the vehicle and it sparked important conversations about electrification, infrastructure improvements for charging EVs, huge improvements for our customer in mail delivery and carrier happiness,” said Todd Cimermancic, a senior mechanical project engineer attending the event with Oshkosh. “I loved that attendees latched on to the importance of developing a purpose-built vehicle.”  

Reflecting on powerful experience

The conversations, connections and innovations shared at SWE 2024 left Oshkosh team members feeling inspired. Engaging with talented female engineers and leaders has only deepened our commitment to fostering a welcoming and supportive workplace where innovation and collaboration thrive.

We are grateful to all who attended and enjoyed hearing all of the insights and ambitions from future engineers. Together we can create purpose-driven vehicles and solutions that will keep communities moving forward.

Click here to learn more about engineering at Oshkosh.