Women in Engineering Day.

Women into Engineering is a fascinating place to be, and although today we are looking to celebrate this, I’d rather approach today as a day for breaking stereotypes. My journey into Engineering hasn’t been one that many may think, I am not naturally academic, it is something I have work at, and even had to re-sit my maths GCSE multiple times. I was one of the only females on the courses I chose to study and never saw this as a reason not to be there. I am the first in my family to go to into higher education and University and went on to achieve 2 degrees, and I haven't always known I would end up in this career.  

So how did I get here.... At school one thing I did know about myself is that I loved being creative, a problem solver and I have always loved a challenge and once I knew that these were not just things that I liked and that could set me up for a career my world completely changed. In core subject areas, I found aspects of them difficult at times and I really had to try hard, sometimes failing in areas, but I wasn’t ready to give up.  Being creative made me a perfect fit for Art, Graphics and Photography which were all subjects I really liked at school, but when I was in DT / Engineering this is where I felt alive! I got to combine my creativity, design ideas, and use problem solving skills to create and make something real, I remember it being a subject that I tried hard in and pushed myself further because I was curious and wanted to know more all the time. I found myself to enjoy the theory and the practical side of the course. This subject is the one I never wanted to miss and where I felt most comfortable to be myself and aspire to something more. I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I left school, but I knew I wanted to have a job where I could feel like this.  

Teaching became a realisation after being at university in my 2nd year, I found my voice (hard to believe for those who know me) I had started mentoring and helping students on my course and became a student voice for my university course. Finally, my mind was made up after visiting my old school and I fell in love with the idea of being able to pass on the enthusiasm and passion for everything I loved to new students.  

Teaching has allowed me to harness the passion I have for being creative, different, problem solving and enabled me to plan this into a challenging and exciting curriculum filled with projects that work with employers to give every opportunity to our students. To now be Curriculum Director of Engineering at Doncaster UTC I want to share the importance of breaking stereotypes, because if I didn’t, then I am not sure I would be sat in this position today, in a career that I love, in a fantastic department where I am collaboratively working to inspire the next generation to find their place that they are destined to be.  

So my message those reading this is, we may face times that test us, and sometimes feel like we are not in the right place, in times like this, stand tall, stand out and continue to stay dedicated to what you want to achieve, because it’s then when you can reach your full potential and inspire others.  

Mrs Naylor

Hi, I’m one of the new engineering teachers starting at the DUTC in September. Originally from a Design and Technology background, I am excited to join the team at the UTC and be one of the three female engineering members of staff.  

At school, I developed a passion for Technology quickly and with the support from a teacher that I was inspired by, I decided that Product Design was the career path for me. After completing school, I went on to study Product Design at university. While there, I began looking into engineering, working with x-ray machines to develop a training program for airport security. 

I enjoy Product Design and my love for the subject has led me into teaching Product Design with Engineering and now focusing on Engineering. I hope that over the next few years I can inspire more students to follow their passions and take up careers in Engineering.  

Miss Nortrop

Hi, I have a BEng in Robotics Engineering and I have previously worked in R&D where I worked within Digital manufacturing with a focus on the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for a wide range of industries as well as supporting clients with the transition into Industry 4.0.  I then worked on a large-scale factory expansion project. Where I oversaw the integration of technologies and tested them before releasing them to the process owners within aerospace. Throughout my engineering education and career, I have always been an active STEM ambassador and enjoyed working with young people. I love disrupting misconceptions of what engineering is and what an engineer looks like. I am excited for this next part of my journey as an Engineering teacher to show students that despite your gender or background there is a wide range of opportunities within engineering. 

Miss Chivaura

Posted: 23 June, 2021

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