Every year since 1978 the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) has offered an award to the UK’s best early career female engineer, recognising excellence and helping to promote a change in gender stereotypes in a traditionally male orientated industry. Women currently represent only 6 per cent of the engineering workforce in the UK according to the 2014 Institute of Engineering and Technology skills survey, which is the lowest percentage in Europe. This year’s prestigious short-list of five nominatees include a high achiever in British industrial 3D printing, Lucy Aukland.
Twenty six year old Lucy is a key staff member at one of the UK’s premier engineering companies and the country’s only OEM for industrial additive manufacturing technologies, Renishaw. She started her career at Renishaw some ten years ago at sixteen as a mechanical engineering apprentice. Since joining the company Aukland has worked hard, shown high levels of aptitude and persistently progressed in her career through a variety of roles at Renishaw. By 2012 Lucy had achieved a first class honours degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, supported by Renishaw on an educational day release basis. As part of her career excellencw Lucy was appointed as a Board member of the charity Young Engineers in 2014.
Today, Lucy is a Project Manager at Renishaw’s Additive Manufacturing Products Division. She coordinates an R&D team at the company to achieve new technologies within additive manufacturing and was seconded to the division to help implement a new product development process for a next generation machine. Her role covers all aspects of design: from the initial concept, development, testing and production preparation.
No small reward for her efforts, the Institute of Engineering and Technology Young Woman Engineer Of The Year Awards are for the ‘very best early career female engineers working in the UK today.’ The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year is awarded for the qualities of: Engineering ability and competence, regardless of level of registration; evidence of initiative; ability to be an able ambassador, representing women in engineering and acting as an inspirational role model. The accolade seeks for ‘a dynamic young woman who represents the very best of our [engineering] profession. She’s a high achiever. A problem solver. A team player. A professional in every aspect of her work.’
Lucy said: “I am thrilled to have made it this far in a competition that includes so many brilliant high achieving females. At the age of thirteen I was inspired to become an engineer and despite some opposition from those who felt that I should follow a more academic route, I chose to apply for an apprenticeship. I hope that my progress and academic achievements since then can similarly help to inspire other young people to consider engineering as an attractive career option.”
The distinguished winner of the Institute of Engineering and Technology Young Woman Engineer will be announced on 10 December at an awards ceremony in London.
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