Committed to recruiting women into STEM roles and closing the gender gap across the sector, Babcock celebrated the success of the oversubscribed event as we welcomed over 50 girls from local schools.
The event was part of Babcock's new apprenticeship drive, showcasing the wide range of opportunities that take place from our Ashton Vale site in Bristol – from manufacturing and engineering design to assembly and build. Pupils had the chance to try their hand at everything from testing augmented reality welding machines to designing Christmas decorations using a 3D printer, as well as getting the opportunity to meet other female engineers, directors and apprentices.
Neal Misell, CEO of Babcock's Mission Systems business, said: “Having a diverse engineering workforce will ensure we are best equipped as a business to deal with the complex challenges we face every day. The engineering, and defence sectors, remain underrepresented by women – and that means we will be missing out on some incredible talent. Events like this are important to show the art of the possible to these students and break down barriers to enter these types of careers.”
Hannah Green, Director of Engineering Capability for Mission Systems business, hailed the event a huge success. “This is a core site for Babcock for our advanced manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul programmes. We are investing and growing our manufacturing capabilities in Bristol and have some really exciting plans for the area.
“As a female engineer, I know what an incredible career it can offer you, so this has been a fantastic event to demonstrate that.”
Rachael Riley, UTC Berkeley Green’s Employability and Student Progression Coordinator added: “It is a great initiative by Babcock to enthuse girls to consider a career in manufacturing and to provide a unique opportunity to test out some cool technology whilst speaking to engineering role models. It’s been amazing.”
