Being a girl was never an issue, says apprentice engineer
STEPHANIE Woodhouse is among just 9% of women who make up the engineering workforce across the UK.
The 20-year-old Bridgend College student works as an engineering apprentice at Sony UK Technology in Pencoed.
As a woman in the profession she is a rarity. According to statistics from Women’s Engineering Society (Wes) the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals throughout Europe.
And worryingly the proportion of young women studying engineering and physics has remained virtually static since 2012, according to Wes.
But Stephanie says engineering was a natural choice for her.
“I have always been good at science and maths so I felt that I was capable of doing something in engineering.
“My family have also come from an engineering background and I found it all really interesting.
“When it came to my career I wanted to choose an industry that was growing and as the years go by engineering is always evolving so I felt that was the right industry to get into.
“Sony is also a great employer and I felt they were right for me.”
As a woman taking on a traditionally male-focused profession, Stephanie, doesn’t feel that women are “underrepresented” in engineering – rather, they may just be lacking confidence in considering the career path.
“I don’t think women believe they can enter into an engineering career. When I started my course last year none of the teachers batted an eye lid that I was a girl.
“I just wanted to be good at what I was doing and being a girl was never an issue. When you are looking from the outside you think it could be an issue, but it isn’t.
“It is male dominated – But I have never seen that as a problem.”