Today on ‘International Women in Engineering day’, we celebrate the work of female engineers and raise awareness of the career paths available within our business.
With Engineering and Port Operations being historically male-dominated industries, days like today hold even greater importance. By raising awareness of opportunities and removing the perception of gender-based barriers, we aim to improve gender balance within our business and better reflect the communities we serve.
To help achieve this, we spoke to Shell Guida, Head of Engineering at London Medway.
Shell's Story:
“I initially started my career in the North West as a mechanical technician and quickly had ambitions to move onto the mechanical inspection department. I realised these ambitions soon after when I worked my way up to becoming the first female inspector at the site. This was an incredible honor for me but it was also in this position where I realised the lack of women in both technical and office-based engineering roles.”
“This realisation was only compounded when as the next major step in my career, I gained a managerial position managing teams of experienced men. As a women in my early 20’s, this was an incredibly daunting experience at first but one that ultimately proved to be just as rewarding. It helped me become headstrong and confident in both my role and my skills.”
In the past Shell has worked with Young people at Schools and Careers Fair who are considering if the industry is right for them
“It may seem intimidating, especially at a young age, to dive into a male dominated career but that is ultimately how we improve diversity within the industry.
"I would massively encourage other women to take the leap. I can honestly say I have yet to come across someone that hasn’t been willing to help me through my journey. If anything, I have always felt a sense of guidance from my mentors to help me get to where I wanted to be in my career”.
Shell believes that that first step is often the harder but that a rewarding career experience awaits for those willing to take it.
“Ultimately, I don’t think gender should be seen as a barrier to entry for careers in engineering. I have lead multi million pound projects, managed teams of 20+ and learnt some incredible skills alongside remarkable talented people and I think that same opportunity is there for everyone willing to make the leap.”
To find out more about Careers at Peel Ports, Click here and to discuss Engineering opportunities in more detail, please email: enabling.futures@peelports.com