Supporting National Women in Engineering Day
Supporting National Women in Engineering Day
In support of National Women in Engineering Day 2016 we spoke to four female engineers from across Electricity North West to discover what inspired them to become an engineer and what they love about their job.
National Women in Engineering Day is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile and celebrate the achievements of women in engineering, and encourage more girls to consider engineering as a career.
The day was set up as an inaugural event organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) for the first time in 2014. It has been recognised that a skills gap in engineering is looming, and one way of addressing this is to get more girls to consider engineering as a realistic career option.
Vanessa Manship, Learning and Talent Advisor for Electricity North West, said: “As only 9% of the engineering workforce is female and the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineers days like today are essential in helping to inspire young girls to consider a career in engineering.
“So many people and businesses rely on our electricity network, it’s incredibly important that it is properly maintained by skilled professionals. We’re very supportive of women going into engineering and proud to be employing female engineers who are flourishing.” 
Nazia Nusrat is a graduate engineer and is helping to transform the power network into a smarter network for a low carbon future. She said: “Women have the wonderful power of multi-tasking, managing and perfection, which are very important qualities for an engineer. Women need to keep faith in themselves and stay confident to develop a career as a highly skilled engineer.”
Carol Pascoe is a delivery manager based in Barrow and she manages a team of 22, including engineers, linesmen, jointers and fitters, who help keep the lights on across Cumbria. She said: “I love that work is different every day. I get to work with great people who do their best to help our customers and ensure our network is running efficiently. My advice would be - don’t give up – you can do whatever you want with a bit of determination.” 
Laura Tregilgas is an apprentice engineer working on the underground power cables in Greater Manchester. She said: “I became an engineer because I wanted to do something different, more physical than sitting behind a desk. Engineering is not for everyone, if you are hard working, want different challenges every day and enjoy being part of a team then it's for you.” 
Deborah Marshall is a streetworks coordinator and she works hand-in-hand with highway authorities and other utilities. She said: “I love the variety and the daily challenges of interacting with field staff, our contractors and highway authorities through to regulatory reporting. My advice would be to not be intimidated by any engineering roles that are traditionally male roles, I have been welcomed and supported by everybody internally and externally.”
To find out more about National Women in Engineering Day click here and visit our careers page to keep up-to-date with all the job opportunities at Electricity North West.