Engineer honoured for being inspirational
Katie wins top award
A technical supervisor for a Perth-based global aviation engineering company has won a major industry award.
Katie Gray from Vector Aerospace Component Services in Almondbank was named the Technician of the Year at the 2017 Semta Skills Awards.
Semta, the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance, is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for developing future engineering skills.
Ann Watson, CEO of Semta said: “Katie is a very deserving winner of the Semta Skills Award, and is an inspirational role model for others.
“Her drive and determination is commendable, not only in her consistently high performance at work but also in the way she promotes the engineering career path to others. She is exactly the sort of person we need to encourage more female engineers.”
Vector provides aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services and engineer Katie is the first Vector representative to be short-listed for this award.
Vector recently won a contract to repair and overhaul dynamic components on the Airbus Ecureuil helicopter family, and Katie was selected as technical supervisor for the area.
A former apprentice herself, she has mentored several of the company’s apprentices at Almondbank and has helped promote engineering and science in school events.
Katie was up for consideration against technicians from a range of well-known UK engineering and manufacturing firms.
On receiving her accolade she remarked: “I have always tried to make sure I am out there promoting engineering as a career to young people. It is a career for life.”
Katie Gray of Almondbank-based Vector Aerospace