Focus: Real examples of girls' powers in the world of work

Heather Large spoke to a group of women who are working and thriving in jobs and industries traditionally dominated by men.

The engineering students

They are the next generation of female engineers ready to prove that the industry can be a woman’s world too.

This year a record number of girls are enrolled on engineering courses at Telford College.

And they are keen to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and consider a career in the industry.

Among those keen to spread the word is Suzanne Smith, who last year secured a week-long placement with BAE Systems which handles multi-million pound contracts for the armed forces.

“I was always interested in doing engineering. I started by doing electronics in Year 9 but I was intimidated by being the only girl in the class.

“I then did basic engineering in Year 11 before coming to the college,” says the 18-year-old.

After completing her engineering course level two at the Haybridge campus she has now moved onto the level three programme.

Suzanne, who lives in Abdon, Craven Arms, plans to work towards her bachelors and masters degree before securing a job at a blue chip company

“I enjoy learning all the technical skills and that it’s very hands-on,” she says.

Alex Bryan has her sights fixed firmly on becoming a weapons technician in the Royal Air Force.

She is already a flight sergeant - and the highest ranking female - in the air cadets with 2497 Cosford Squadron ATC.

Alex also teaches cadets working towards their BTEC level 2 aviation studies at RAF Cosford.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the RAF and I come from a long line of aviation engineers. It’s thrilling to learn how things work and I love working on weapons,” says Alex, who lives in Wolverhampton.

Jessica Bailey works as an analyst at Quorum and is currently studying towards the Level 4 Higher National Certificate in General Engineering.

“I took an RAF aptitude test for human resources. I excelled in mechanical and electrical engineering. I didn’t know what opportunities there were in engineering and I thought human resources was suitable. I realised that engineering was what I wanted to do,” says Jessica who lives in Telford.

The 22-year-old says she enjoys the mathematics side to engineering. “I love that there is one straight answer and when you work it all out you experience a euphoria moment,” she adds.

Anna Michulec, 27, who lives in Telford, says she chose engineering after working in factories.

“I like the science and maths sides of engineering. I would like to go into designing machines in the future,” she tells us.

Layla Bone says she has always been interested in engineering but said her determination grew after meeting her step-father.

“He’s an engineer so I was always asking him lots of questions. I’ve learned things I never thought I would learn by coming to college,” says the 17-year-old who lives in Telford.

Abigail Higgins says she is following in her grandfather’s footsteps.

“I’ve always loved working out how things work and fixing things around the house,” said the 17-year-old who hopes to secure an apprenticeship in maintenance engineering.

Maths and physics enthusiast Scarlett Jones, 18, from Lilleshall, plans to go into automotive or aerospace engineering and particularly likes computer-aided design (CAD).

“It’s the CAD side of it that really interests me. It’s really exciting,” she says.

Jessica Terry, 18, who lives in Telford, says it’s important for more women to go into engineering.

“Even some family members said ‘Do you really want to do that?’ when I told them I was doing engineering.

“I think more women should do it, they can really make a difference,” she adds.

Head of engineering Samantha Jones says the number of girls enrolling on engineering courses is increasing but she would love to see it continue to grow in the future.

“This is the most girls we’ve ever had but it’s still only one per cent of the total number of students in the department,” she adds.

Her advice for any female student considering engineering as a career is to ‘just go for it’.

The car saleswoman

Selling cars for a living has long been considered by many as a man’s job but Molly Taylor is one of a growing number of women helping to change that perception.

Her career at Stafford Land Rover is off to a flying start after she became the first person to receive a perfect 100 per cent score in her final sales apprenticeship exam.

“When I left school I went to work for a travel company. It was great, but I knew I wanted to build a career for myself, not just have a job.

“When I was selected for the sales apprentice role at Stafford Land Rover, I was delighted, but also determined to work as hard as I could.

“Getting 100 per cent in the final exam was the icing on the cake for me. I’ve now been at Stafford Land Rover for almost two years. It’s part of family-owned Swansway Motor Group, and I’ve felt hugely supported by not just the whole dealership team, but Jaguar Land Rover and Swansway too,” says Molly, who lives in Stafford.

The 20-year-old says she has found the job to be hugely rewarding and is pleased to be breaking stereotypes.

“I would recommend a sales apprentice to anyone. It’s hard work, but also enjoyable and I was made to feel like part of the team from day one.

“Sales is a good fit for me; I like talking to people, finding out about their lives and recommending the right car, with the right accessories and the right finance.

“I feel very lucky that I’ve found a job I really love.”

“I would definitely encourage other women to do a job like mine, it’s great to break stereotypes and change the perception of a car salesperson within the motor industry,” adds Molly.

The construction site manager

She’s a woman building success in a man’s world. Hayley Chilton has worked her way up the ladder at Barratt Homes and has been a site manager for more than 18 months.

The 29-year-old is currently overseeing a team of workers at the Hawk Rise development in Ledbury.

“A typical day always starts with a cup of coffee at 7am and then any inductions for new trades. I then go through anything specific that’s happening that day with the site team.

“The daily routine then consists of ensuring the trades are doing the right thing in the right plots, all health and safety is in place and ordering any materials required and booking in works for the coming weeks,” explains Hayley, who lives in Hagley.

She first began working for the housebuilder in 2012, starting in the customer care department and later enrolling on the site manager’s training scheme.

In 2014, she became the first female assistant site manager for Barratt Homes’ West Midlands division, and one of just a handful across the country.

“I really enjoy the team building on site, the guys that work on site are brilliant. I really enjoy the challenge every day brings and working in high pressure scenarios.

“I also really enjoy handing over a property to the customer - that’s a really rewarding aspect of my job,” says Hayley.

She said the men on site did not treat her differently because of her gender.

“I really don’t think it makes that much difference now. I came across some challenges when I was first starting out as an assistant site manager, however now that I have the experience to deal with difficult situations, I feel that actually being a woman in this industry comes with its own benefits.

“I find that a lot of the men have a lot of respect for what I do and we work really well on site,” explains Hayley.

When asked if she thought more women should follow in her footsteps, Hayley replied: “Absolutely. There’s absolutely no reason that women should not consider working in the construction industry - there are long hours, all weather conditions and it’s very muddy, but other than that, the good definitely outweighs the bad.”

The systems engineer manager

Carolyn Lee is ‘very proud’ to be playing a leading role in the manufacturing industry and would love to see more women follow in her footsteps.

The 27-year-old combined engineering graduate was recently appointed systems engineer manager at Telford-based Multi-Fan Systems, part of Filtermist International Ltd.

Before that, Carolyn, a combined engineering graduate, had spent eight years honing her skills at Jaguar Land Rover.

“My dad was a huge influence on me, also working in the advanced engineering and manufacturing sector. I’ve always loved understanding how things work, processes and finding solutions.

“After a few years in advanced engineering, manufacturing seemed like the natural progression to follow my interests.

“I entered the advanced engineering industry at 18 as an apprentice, I completed eight years with one of the UK’s largest car manufacturers and this allowed me to explore all my avenues and discover my true passion, which is the manufacture and installation of industrial plant services.

“I changed industry to pursue this and to be involved in developing the best systems, product, services and teams to provide best in class solutions for our customers,” explains Carolyn, who lives in Much Wenlock.

She believes women shouldn’t be deterred from working in the manufacturing industry because it was previously perceived to be a masculine occupation.

“There’s no difference, having the skills and experience to be able to successfully do your job quickly outweigh any reservations or misconceptions people may have when they first start speaking to you.

“The skills shortage in the industry is crying out for talented, driven and capable individuals. There’s so much going on in the manufacturing sector, it’s an incredibly exciting place to work, with huge opportunities.

“The old manufacturing industry that’s dirty and stuck in some old warehouse is long gone. The rate technology in the industry is advancing is very exciting to watch, I’m very proud to be a part of it and would love to see more women at the forefront of change within the industry,” says Carolyn.

The associate minister

Being a priest is very rewarding for The Rev Sally Day who was first ordained by the Church of England 11 years ago.

She is based at St Andrew’s Church, in Shifnal, where she leads services including wedding, baptisms and funerals as part of a team also serving Sheriffhales and Tong.

“There is no such thing as a typical week but most weeks would including morning service in one or more of the churches on a Sunday, visiting people who are housebound or ill, visiting people in hospital and taking Holy Communion to those who can’t go to church.

“There might be a funeral or in wedding season a wedding and I’ll also work with the rest of the team for Shifnal, Sheriffhales and Tong,” says Rev Day.

She found herself called to the church after a successful nursing career which including caring for children in hospitals and setting up and working at Acorns Children’s Hospice in Selly Oak, Birmingham.

Rev Day started to look for a church community that she felt comfortable to be a part of. After visiting St Andrew’s for the first time she felt a connection and she began her training before being ordained as a self-supporting minister.

“I enjoy the interactions with people right through the age groups, the pastoral care, leading funerals, weddings and baptisms as well as regular worship by taking services on a Sunday,” she tells us.

The General Synod approved the way for women to be priests in 1992, with legislation passed two years later.

Since then the number of women clergy has continued to rise and now roughly equal numbers of men and women are getting ordained in the Church of England every year.

It has a target to increase the number of candidates for ordination by 50 per cent by 2020 so it can reduce the impact of retirements over the next decade.

“What we need is a lot more priests, whether it’s a man or a woman is not that important,” says Rev Day.

She finds the role very fulfilling and enjoys encouraging more people to become part of the church community.

“It’s rewarding to be in a position to see people growing in faith and to see more young people and families coming in to be part of the community at St Andrew’s at different events and services,” says Rev Day.

For more information about International Women's Day visit internationalwomensday.com