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How did you get into engineering?
I didn’t always have my sights set on engineering, to be honest. I studied maths at uni and never really had a firm idea of what I wanted to do after. When I graduated, I became interested in the nuclear industry and started working at REACT Engineering. This was a great place for me to start my career. I was able to help solve some really difficult problems. After about three years, I moved on to Frazer-Nash Consultancy where I’m now part of the Technical Assurance team. I mainly work on nuclear safety cases and nuclear safety assessments.
Why did you want to become a chartered engineer?
I wanted to be a chartered engineer because it’s the recognition that you have reached a benchmark level of competence. My application had been a ‘work in progress’ for a while, but once I got stuck in to it, it didn’t take long to put together. I asked the Nuclear Institute a lot of questions about the Nuclear Delta and the type of evidence they were looking for in the application.
Why should there be more female engineers?
There will be some really talented people out there who have never considered engineering or who are put off because they think the industry is too masculine or male-dominated. As well as this, we need to focus on retention. The retention of female engineers is low. It’s going to be challenging for businesses with predominantly male management to implement effective changes and improve the working environment for women.
What would you say to a young female considering engineering?
Pursue your interests. Speak to people in the industry to find out about different roles and the type of work you could be doing. There’s loads of exciting stuff out there to get involved with. Don’t be put off by the stereotypes of the industry – you’ve got just as much right to be there as everyone else!
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