International Women in Engineering Day 2018 #IWED18
International Women in Engineering Day 2018 #IWED18
International Women in Engineering Day takes place every year on 23 June. We want to help encourage everyone to join in to celebrate women in engineering and encourage more girls and young women to consider engineering as a career.
The theme for INWED 2018 is all about 'Raising the bar', so to mark this day, we asked our Assistant Architectural Technician, Nichola Hilton to share her career journey and experiences in engineering as a female.
1. “Hi Nichola, please could you give us an insight into your your background - studies college/university and what made you choose a career in engineering”.
Nichola: “From a young age I had always had an interest in the built environment, but it was never a career choice encouraged or even spoken about at school. So I decided to go down the Business Studies route as it seemed a popular choice at the time. It didn’t take me long to realise that I had made the wrong decision and turned my attention to the construction industry.
In 2007 I secured my first job in the industry as a Trainee Architectural Technician for Redrow homes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there long before I had to give it up to become a full-time carer for my mother.
After several years of being a carer and concentrating on my young family, I decided it was time for me to restart my career. I knew I had to develop my knowledge and skills, so therefore in 2014 I applied to do an Architectural Design Technology degree at Glyndwr University. It was a challenging 3 years studying, but all worth it to be back in the industry I love as an Assistant Architectural Technician with Beech Developments”.
2. “What would you say has been your biggest career achievement so far?”
Nichola: “My biggest career achievement so far, has been my involvement with the Colwyn Bay Waterfront Project. During my second year at Glyndwr University, we were given the opportunity to design a concessions unit for Colwyn Bay promenade. The opportunity enabled us to work with real clients on a ‘live’ project. My design impressed the Waterfront Project committee so much that they decided to use my design. My involvement with the university and local council in the Colwyn Bay Waterfront project, has enabled the project to be shortlisted for the CEW People Development Award 2018. Having my design in such a prominent location, and at the start of my career, has been an amazing honour and achievement”.
3. “What advice would you give to girls and young females starting out in construction and engineering?”
Nichola: “There has been a significant push in recent years to allow the opportunity for more young people to enter the industry. Many companies now offer places for apprenticeships, work experience, training and graduate programmes. The industry is a very competitive field, but hard work, commitment and enthusiasm will allow you to achieve that exciting and rewarding career. My advice would be to never give up”.
Keep up with the conversation on Twitter: @INWED1919 #INWED18 #RaisingTheBar