Chesterfield-based training provider, NLT Training Services, says a record number of female apprentices are signing up for courses in welding and fabrication, mechanical engineering and fitting, and electrical engineering.

It has a “significant” number of young women currently studying electrical engineering and advanced mechanical engineering at NVQ Levels 2 and 3. The number has leapt from two a couple of years ago to nine this year.

Many of them are working as cable joiners, maintenance fitters, technicians and electricians at companies across Derbyshire.

NLT Training Services chief executive Steve Meadows says: “Apprenticeships are having a huge impact on the skills shortage in this region and employers are seeing huge benefits from investing in their own home-grown talent, which is important in securing future innovation and productivity in their businesses.

“We are delighted to be at the forefront of removing gender stereotyping from the industry. There is a shortage of female role models within engineering, so we hope that the young women training at NLT can be ambassadors for this sector and help encourage more women to pursue engineering courses and careers.”

One of those young women is 22-year-old Hayley Grimson, of Chesterfield, who is an apprentice maintenance technician in the electrical maintenance department of Fusion Provida, an international manufacturer of polyethylene jointing technology. Her main job is to install machinery and make sure it works efficiently.

She is studying for an NVQ Level 3 qualification in electrical engineering through NLT Training Services, and is also taking a BTEC National Certificate in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Chesterfield College.

She says: “Everyone always asks why I chose engineering and I don’t really have an answer! Following a career in electrics was something different and I just thought it sounded interesting and a great challenge.

“Lots of my friends were surprised when I went into engineering as it’s normally seen as a man’s world. However, there are so many opportunities and different career routes, such as design, automation, technical, and maintenance and development roles, that you really can have a varied and rewarding career.”

She is half way through her apprenticeship and intends to progress to an HND and perhaps a degree once it is finished. 

Sean Keavey, maintenance manager at Fusion Provida, says gender has never been an issue for the company: “It’s more about the person and how dedicated and ambitious they are. We are delighted with how well Hayley is doing – she has proved she has the skills and ability to succeed in this role.

“There is still an engineering skills shortage in this region and we are trying to address this by recruiting apprentices who will grow and develop within the company.”

Image: Hayley Grimson: challenging the gender stereotypes that exist in electrical engineering.

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