Young women gearing up to do "men's" work

Three female engineering students at Bicton College working towards Level 3 Extended Diplomas are headed for academic distinction, even outperforming some of their male peers.

Eighteen-year-old Emily Steer from Plymouth enrolled at the College after being told by people that she couldn’t do it. "The reactions I got surprised me and made me even more determined," says Emily. "And my Dad was really encouraging, which was the catalyst I needed to show everyone that I’m capable of developing a career in engineering."

Anna Sampson, 19, also from Devon, agrees: "I started out doing a course in animal care, but then decided it wasn’t for me. What I really wanted to do was work with machinery and equipment – I wanted the challenge of proving that courses usually designed for men are accessible to women."

Born in Leeds, Rebecca Parnell, 19, came to Devon to study because she’d heard about the course from her mum, Samantha, who recommended the College. "I’d already done paint refinishing and it was an obvious next step to go under the bonnet! I want to work in agriculture, and most employers now expect you to be able to fix machinery as well as operate it."

Engineering is one of the most diverse areas to work in and, according to the three female undergraduates, Bicton College is far more "women engineer friendly" than some other colleges – a feature of their learning experience which has facilitated a growing sense of confidence that they can make it in industry typically dominated by men.

"You still get teased," said Emily, "but at my previous college I was treated really badly and repeatedly told engineering isn’t for girls. All that changed when I came to Bicton and the tutors have been very supportive,’ she added. ‘Here, we’re made to feel like we’re just as good if not better than the boys and that we’ve every chance of getting a really good job once we’ve graduated."

For a career traditionally seen as presenting barriers to women, things are starting to change, not least because of the technological innovation that has made engineering much less physically demanding.

"In the past there was a lot of heavy lifting," says Anna, "and I doubt I’d have been able to do it. But improvements in health and safety, particularly with the sort of lifting gear now in use, have meant that even if you’re slightly built like me, you can do it no problem."

"We’re really pleased with their progress,’ said Chris Jaworski, the College’s land-based engineering course manager. ‘There’s absolutely nothing to stop these girls developing a career in engineering and with industry-recognised qualifications they’ll be able to go anywhere in the world to pursue their careers."

But for now the women want to stay closer to home. "I’d like to get a job as a traditional workshop mechanic," says Anna. "I love diagnostics and problem-solving, it’s very satisfying to fix things and get them going again."

The number of women in engineering in the UK has remained fairly static for the past few years at around 6pc, according to research by the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

But for Emily, Anna and Rebecca, this gender imbalance is unimportant: "Engineering is an obvious choice for women who aren’t interested in the supposedly more feminine types of careers," says Rebecca. "We’re just as capable of carving out a career path in this industry as any other – in fact it’ll probably be easier given the current lack of females in the profession. And it can be really well paid if you’ve got the right qualifications, which is a bonus."