AMRC Cymru: career development Q&A
The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre opened in North Wales in 2019 and is celebrating five years as an important contributor to Wales’ engineering and manufacturing sectors. To find out more about its career development opportunities we spoke to Lucy Morley, a Manufacturing Research Engineer at AMRC Cymru.
How would you summarise your experience of being a female apprentice in a male-dominated environment/industry?
It has been about seven years since I first stepped into an operational production environment, so I think (hope!) a lot has changed since. It can be quite daunting entering an environment for the first time where you're a minority. It can be a really rewarding career if you’re willing to be part of the team. Yes, I've had people say I only got opportunities because I was female, but I know I still put in the work to get to where I am.
What made you decide to follow this path? Did anyone influence you to take up a role in this sector?
My dad and brother are both electrical engineers – I think growing up around engineers and just generally practical people will certainly have had an influence on my career, and I'm grateful to have had that exposure. But for a long time I didn't think engineering was something women could pursue as a career – I also thought it was something only straight A students could do.
During some time as a bicycle mechanic, I decided to apply for a craft apprenticeship which was more hands-on/tools based. After the three-year apprenticeship, I qualified as an aircraft fitter. I spent 12 months working in production on shifts before moving to a Blue to White Collar programme to work in Engineering. I've since completed an Aeronautical Engineering degree funded by the Welsh Government and moved to AMRC Cymru to become a Manufacturing Research Engineer.
Employer support and mentoring
Did you get support from your employer, and any wider ED&I initiatives? Were there networks in place that offered mentoring or support?
My tutors and lecturers in college were really supportive early in my apprenticeship, but I was about five years into my engineering career before I came across any official networks or ED&I initiatives.
I was lucky enough to work with some inspiring women in production, and the men I shadowed were really supportive when it came to completing my assessments – these would involve me writing up work packages I'd completed on the shopfloor, to show I was working to the right standards and so on.
I think the biggest piece of advice to any young people wanting to pursue a career in engineering is: your attitude at work goes a long way in terms of building supportive working relationships. You're going to make mistakes, and those working relationships are likely to help you when it goes wrong.
What advice would you give to employers wanting to encourage more women and girls into STEM apprenticeships?
My advice would be to take note of the marketing material you're sending out to promote your apprenticeships and business in general. Yes, clean and well put-together photographs and video make good marketing material, but they don't tell the whole story. I think sometimes marketing material can make it look like a certain type of person works in engineering, when in reality people from any and all backgrounds can find success in the industry.
I also think too much emphasis can be put on encouraging young people into the industry, when in fact we're missing out on people that may be looking for a career change. Manufacturing isn't a popular career choice for those leaving the Armed Forces, for example, yet they could bring a wealth of knowledge to the industry. So for me it’s important that marketing material truly speaks to the whole workforce, and not just those just entering their engineering careers.
Who are your female role models in the industry?
I realised there was a place for women in engineering back when Leena Gade became the first female race engineer to lead a team to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Now, I'm inspired regularly by the female engineers I meet and hearing what they're passionate about in the industry.
At school, picking your career can seem quite daunting, but it's important to realise your decision doesn't mean that's what you'll be doing until you retire. I started in manufacturing and still work in it now, but I'm also slowly picking up sports engineering work too.
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