An engineering apprentice from Stone has been announced as a finalist in the annual Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) to recognise the best and brightest young female engineers in the country.
Laurie Marshall, aged 20, was selected as a finalist in the Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices in recognition of her outstanding contribution within the workplace, as well as acting as a role model to other young people who are considering a future in engineering.
If she’s named as winner, Laurie will receive a cheque for £750, an engraved trophy and certificate and will be invited to participate in high profile events, where she will get the chance to meet influential people and raise her profile within the engineering industry.
Laurie is set to join other top young female engineers at a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Stephanie McGovern on 10th December in central London.
She joined ABB Power Systems in Stone in September 2011 and is currently an Apprentice Circuit Engineer, where she works as part of a team that designs protection and control systems, the “brains” of high-voltage substations.
As an apprentice, Laurie balances a four-day working week with one day a week studying for a Foundation Degree in Electrical Engineering, meaning she is developing valuable work experience as well as working towards a degree.
Women currently represent just six per cent of the engineering workforce in the UK today, the lowest percentage in Europe. If this trend continues, the UK will be in a significantly weakened position to find the 87,000 new engineers needed every year over the next decade (according to Engineering UK 2014, the state of engineering report).
Laurie said: “Working as an apprentice at ABB is the best experience I could have asked for when starting off and it’s a real bonus to be shortlisted by the IET.”
ABB’s Head of Power Systems in UK and Ireland, Stephen Trotter added: “We’re really proud of Laurie’s achievement. As an apprentice engineer, the world is her oyster and she is developing skills and knowledge that will give her a rewarding and exciting career in engineering.”
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