News

International Women’s Day – a female engineer’s perspective

08 March 2022

To mark International Women’s Day we spoke to one of our female engineers to understand what it is like to work in an industry where, according to the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group, only 20% of the workforce is female in the UK. Read on to hear how Sam overcame challenges and how she thinks we can ‘break the bias’ by providing strong role models for women and girls.

Sam is a Shift Operator at the Capenhurst site, where she is responsible for ensuring the plant is performing safely and efficiently. She ensures critical equipment is functioning correctly and samples our enriched uranium and tails as well as our commissioning and decommissioning cylinders to monitor their status. 

At the age of 16, Sam started her engineering journey as the UK’s first female steel erector apprentice. “I wanted to grow up way before my time and I saw an apprenticeship as a way to expedite that growth,” Sam said. 

“The apprenticeship I took helped me build a level of belief in myself that I can overcome challenges and I bring that to my work. Problems are there to be solved, we just need to create an environment that allows people to experiment and fail.”

Sam emphasised the importance of having female role models and mentors throughout her career. She quoted Gwen Parry-Jones, CEO of Magnox, as someone she has always looked up to from her time at Heysham Power Station, where Gwen was the first female Station Director for EDF. 

“Before my interview with Urenco we had a call and she explained how her time in operations learning about the plant, its quirks and its people were some of the fondest memories she had. 

“I remember reading an article where Gwen said people are important, and they need to be able to tell you what they think – if you treat them badly in any way, you won't necessarily get the best outcome for the plant. This is something that has resonated with me greatly.”

It is clear why this resonated with Sam when she shared her experience of being promoted to manage a team at a previous company. 

“This was the first time my team had ever been managed by a female, and I was also the youngest person within the team by a generation!” Sam recalled. “When I was first introduced to the team some people thought I was on a walk round from head office and their faces dropped when they realised I was their direct line manager, which instantly made the room feel cold. 

“I remember giving my first pre-job brief to the team and showing them my vulnerability. Although I had the most technical experience, I had never managed a team – I needed them.” 

Sam explained that this honesty took her from being in a cold room to having a loyal and motivated team. “The team felt respected and continually went above and beyond for me because I constantly showed I valued them and asked for their support. Just because you’re managing a team doesn’t mean you know everything or need to know everything.”

To some women and girls, the male engineer stereotype might make it seem like a career in engineering isn’t for them, which could shut off a wealth of knowledge and experience to the industry. To break the stereotype, Sam thinks that women in the industry need to show young girls that engineering is not just for men. 

“My memory of doing a presentation at The Big Bang STEM event in Birmingham stands out to me because so many young girls were interested in engineering after their eyes had been opened to the possibilities.” 

Sam explained that although women may start on a certain career path, life often happens in between, which can change the trajectory of their career. “Navigating a path in your career when you become a parent for example is hard,” said Sam. 

“It is a constant juggle of priorities, and sometimes you can feel guilty for wanting to have it all (a career and a family). Having a mentor can help you by providing a sounding board to ensure what you’re feeling is rational and help you find a career path that works for you.”