Danielle Epstein was the runner up in this June’s I’m an Engineer Food Zone.
During the event, on National Women in Engineering Day she spoke with the Prime Minister about how to get more women into engineering by challenging stereotypes, and using I’m an Engineer as a way to help young people relate to engineers.
Danielle wrote about her experience.
On Monday 23rd June both the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the Chancellor, George Osborne visited Coca-Cola Enterprises Wakefield facility, Europe’s largest soft drinks production plant. As part of this visit I was given the fantastic opportunity to meet them and speak to them about my first 10 months at CCE on the supply chain graduate scheme.
PM David Cameron at Coca Cola Enterprises’ Wakefield plant speaking with 2014 Food Zone engineer, Danielle Epstein (Note Danielle’s home-made NWED badge) | Image © Stonehouse Photographic
As part of my discussion with them I brought up the fact that it was National Women in Engineering Day and how timely his visit was to raise the profile of this important day! The Prime Minister asked me directly how he thought we could get more females interested in engineering, acknowledging it to be an important issue both today and looking towards the future.
We discussed how an important factor is breaking down stereotypes of what being an engineer means. The traditional view may be unappealing to the majority of females; going round lugging a heavy toolkit, getting dirty fixing machines. Although this is one important element of what an engineer could be it is by no means the only option. Opportunities range from designing high performing equipment for chemical plants to leading teams on multi-million pound projects if you follow a career in engineering.
The Prime Minister asked how I would go about breaking down these stereotypes and I mentioned that speaking to school children so they could relate to you and find out what you do as engineer day to day was really important. I’m an Engineer is an excellent platform to do this. Giving hundreds of school children the opportunity to speak to engineers in an informal setting, learning what they do and understanding they aren’t so different from them!
The Prime Minister applauded this idea and remarked how we need more engineers and companies, like the ones taking part in I’m an Engineer, to take an active role in educating young people on the exciting reality of what being an engineer is like today.
Personally, it was a proud moment for me to be able to raise an issue that I feel very passionately about with the leader of our country. I look forward to championing women in engineering as much as I can in the years to come, working hard to get as many unique opportunities to highlight the issues around this topic as I can!
