WPD calls on more women to take up roles in engineering

WPD, which has made the announcement to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day on Sunday (23 June), employs women in a range of engineering-related roles across the Midlands, the South West and South Wales, but says more needs to be done to encourage women into the industry.

Last year, WPD signed up to WISE (Women into Science and Engineering), a national campaign which encourages women and girls to take up courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Rosie Smith, a craftsperson working on cable jointing in Northamptonshire, said: “I am the only woman on my team but I don’t even think about it.

“I don’t know if the job is different for me as a woman because I don’t know what it’s like for a man. In my whole time as a jointer, I have never been aware of being treated differently because I am female.

“If other women are considering a career like mine, I would say ‘why not?’ I thought I could do it and the company gave me the opportunity so I went out and did it. We definitely need to encourage more women to do the same.”

Her message was echoed by Debra Baker, a planner in South Wales, who is responsible for designing extensions to the electricity network.

She said: “Planning is very technical but it is a role that anybody can do. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, young or old, as long as you deliver what the customer wants. I think the playing field is levelling all the time.”

Beverley Dwyer, WPD employee relations manager, said: “At WPD, we are proud to employ women in a variety of engineering roles and to celebrate the vital role they play in helping to keep the lights on for our 7.9 million customers.

“We hope that the very positive female engineering role models at WPD will help to encourage more girls and women to consider a career in engineering.”

International Women in Engineering Day is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focuses attention on career opportunities available to females in the industry. It celebrates the outstanding achievements of women engineers throughout the world.

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