Inspiring the next generation of female engineers

If someone was asking me why I believe engineering is a great career option for women my answer would be ‘why not’. It’s an exciting, rewarding career and the variety of opportunities is vast. There are so many different ways to enter the world of engineering and, unlike many other career options, demand often outstrips supply.

At NATS we believe increasing diversity in engineering is vital for several reasons, not least because we need to expand the pool of engineering talent (both male and female) as our needs evolve, but also because we have some truly ground-breaking developments on the horizon.

Because of this we’re always excited about supporting International Women in Engineering Day (IWED). The annual awareness event, on Friday 23 June, was set up to raise the profile and celebrate the achievements of women in engineering, and we hope it will encourage people from both genders to apply for engineering roles at NATS.

Britain has a proud record in engineering, and we strive to continue that heritage within our business. So, to support International Women in Engineering Day and the IET’s ‘9% is not enough’ campaign, we’re delighted to announce the launch of our very own Bring Your Daughter to Work Day on 27 July.   This is simply the starting point for us to increase the diversity of our Engineering teams.

Around 60 attendees, aged between 13-18, will enjoy a day of interactive talks, tours and activities aimed at helping them discover more about the exciting world of engineering. They will also be taken on an engineering-themed tour by one of our experts, getting a taste of a ‘day in the life’ of an engineer.

We hope this will be a catalyst to help them think more about their career options and the opportunities available to them. Growing our very own talent pipeline is hugely important to our future success, and this helps us ensure we reach out, recruit, develop and grow the very best talent from the widest pool possible.

This is what some of our female engineers have to say:

Nicky Smith-Brialey, Deputy Service Manager at our Prestwick centre, says:

Nicky Smith-Brialey

“Engineering is our future, in so many different ways. It is amazing to have the opportunity to shape, design and mould the technology that we see developing so quickly in front of us. To be involved in such an industry is truly rewarding, empowering and satisfying.

“I think our involvement in Bring Your Daughter to Work Day is fantastic. It will offer an enlightening ‘behind the scenes’ view of how engineering happens in ATC and who knows, it could be the spark for an exhilarating career and future in engineering.”

Kirstie Tedman, iTEC Adaptation Test Lead, says:

Kirstie Tedman

“I think it’s really important for women to be encouraged to take up careers in engineering. Currently, there is a shortage of women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers, despite the fact that there are so many attractive opportunities in the industry.

“I think that one of main the reasons fewer women take up careers in engineering is the lack of role models, which is why events such as Bring Your Daughter to Work Day are so important. It will give the group an opportunity to see what we do and to meet some female engineers. It will also enable us to give them information about how to get into engineering.”