Engineering news
Jessica Bestwick won the IET Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices at the Young Woman Engineer (YWE) of the Year ceremony in 2014. Here is her story.
As I approached 16 years old I had to make the decision as to whether I was ready to leave school for work or pursue further education. I decided to continue studying for my A-Levels. When it came to what subjects I would study I had no idea what career path I wanted to follow. Therefore, I chose the subjects that I most enjoyed: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Product Design. All subjects that made me destined for an engineering career (but I did not know that at the time).
During the first few months of my Product Design A-level, my sixth form teachers asked if I was interested in being entered for The Arkwright’s Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to support students through their studies and encourage them to pursue a career in engineering. Fortunately, I was accepted and my engineering career took off from there!
Soon after that Rolls-Royce offered me a week’s work experience. During the week, I got the opportunity to experience what life as an engineer could be like. It was also the first time I discussed an apprenticeship as a route to engineering and it looked fantastic! It was an opportunity to study for a degree and NVQ all funded by the company, whilst gaining valuable work experience and skills from world-class engineers; and if that wasn’t enough I would be getting paid as well!
Having applied for the apprenticeship, I thought I had no chance of getting an interview, never mind the job, but I received an email inviting me to an assessment centre and a few weeks later I was given a provisional offer. I knew that Rolls-Royce are a world-class company and therefore jumped at the opportunity. Three years later, I believe choosing the apprenticeship was the best career decision I could ever make. For me, the apprenticeship turned out to more than just a degree and an NVQ, it was the start of what I hope will continue to be a fantastic, long career in engineering.
An inspirational awards ceremony for young women engineers
This year’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year awards will be announced at a ceremony in London on 3 December. The event celebrates the work of inspirational young engineers, such as Jessica, who will help to shape the future. Register you free place by visiting www.theiet.org/ywe
When asked who inspired her to become an engineer, she said: “Project Development Engineer Heather Dunbar. Heather was the first female engineer I met at Rolls-Royce. Her passion and enthusiasm for engineering, her job and her team were the key factors in making me realise that I wanted to be a Rolls-Royce engineer.”
If you’re a young woman engineer like Jessica, tell us who inspired you with the Twitter hashtag #engineersinspire.