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Female engineering achievements celebrated at ‘royal’ Rosyth

A group of Thales engineers from across the UK have supported a royal event at Rosyth to celebrate the achievements of female engineers in the fields of science, technology and advanced manufacturing.

 

Organised by WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), the September event at the Babcock shipyard was joined by WISE patron The Princess Royal and guests from industry and education.

 

The Thales engineers were Sasha Roberts (Bristol/Templecombe), Emma Dalzell (Belfast), Vicky McLaren (Glasgow) and Heather Mitchell (Queen Elizabeth, Glasgow).

 

It highlighted the pressing need for more women to become involved in engineering, with industry figures being joined by schools, colleges, universities and a number of high-profile organisations that promote science and technology.

 

Chaired by TV presenter Kaye Adams, guest speakers from Primary Engineer, Tain Royal Academy and Equate Scotland examined how to inspire the next generation of the female engineering workforce.

 

Women working in defence, oil and gas, renewables and academia discussed their experiences as professional engineers. Signatures engineer Sasha Roberts spoke about her early career aspirations and also her experiences with Thales.

 

Vicky McLaren, a project quality engineer, says,

The highlights for me were speeches by three young women, including Sasha, who have achieved great things in their careers in a relatively short timescale, and in very male dominated environments.  It was also a good opportunity to meet many other women working in science and engineering and to discuss experiences with them. 

The event concluded with The Princess Royal highlighting the need to show girls that engineering can be part of their future just as much as it can be for boys. She said: “The ripple effect of these events is hugely important in the long term.”

 

Emma Dalzell, a test systems design engineer on the LMM missile programme, says,

“I thoroughly enjoyed the event and found it really interesting to talk to such a varied group of engineers. It was also fantastic to see HMS Queen Elizabeth out in the water.”

Heather Mitchell, a mechanical systems engineer on the carrier programme, added,

“It was definitely inspiring. It also highlighted for me the fact we still have a way to go to ensure we attract more young women into engineering and technology careers. But events like this which celebrate and promote existing success stories definitely help our profile.”