Dr Emma Taylor named as one of The Telegraph's Top 50 Women Engineers

RSSB’s Lead System Safety Engineer Dr Emma Taylor has been named as one of The Telegraph’s Top 50 Women Engineers, something she has described as a big surprise and one that she could not have achieved on her own.

“It was a real surprise and a great honour to be recognised on this list,” she said. “I have been working hard and enjoying my engineering career. It definitely put a big smile on my face."

The 2018 edition of the list highlights women who have changed engineering sectors or returned to engineering following a career break. Emma herself took time out of her career to care for her elderly Grandmother for a number of years, and she said she hopes The Telegraph’s list can highlight the different career paths that are open to engineers.

“This initiative by the Womens Engineering Society and the Telegraph is brilliant because you are bringing together people who might not fit the traditional engineering mould or career path, and it is going to broaden people’s thinking about what an engineer is and change their perceptions,” added Emma.

“I’ve had an almost 30-year engineering career and it has not been a solo journey. I’ve had some great support from mentors as I’ve gained Chartered Engineer registration, then becoming a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and of the Safety and Reliability Society. Mentoring is important for every engineer’s career and it ties in very nicely with continuous personal development (CPD).

Alongside her role with RSSB, the independent rail safety body for the UK, and her position as Chair-Elect of the Safety and Reliability Society, Emma works closely with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, both as a CPD auditor and as a member of the CPD Assessment Committee, and believes that the Institution’s work supporting mentoring and professional development is vital for the industry.

When you have all of this change happening in your professional and personal life, CPD can give you a framework to help identify career paths and plot a route through changing waters. People think of CPD as being dry and full of spreadsheets, but it can be tailored to anyone’s needs and style of learning.”

“The mentoring scheme at IMechE is just one of the great things it does,” she said. “Mentoring doesn’t have to be through a formal mentoring scheme to count as CPD, ad hoc conversations also count, and IMechE is great for that because it is an engineering community and people are happy to give advice.

“People think of CPD as just being about training courses and certificates, but a large proportion of CPD is informal learning."

CPD is a fundamental part of any career in engineering, and it doesn’t need to be a challenge. CPD is personal – it’s about your development and will be unique to you, depending on your role, your career stage and your developmental goals. Further details on the importance of CPD and guidance can be found here.