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Friday 23 Jun 2023

International Women in Engineering Day: York engineers encourage more women to consider career in railway

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Eastern

| Eastern: East Coast

Today (Friday, 23 June) is International Women in Engineering Day (IWED) and three female engineers are encouraging more women to consider a career in the rail industry.

Clare Brint, Olivia Huntly and Lorena Muscai all work for Network Rail and are based in York.

The trio are involved in a variety of different projects. This includes major work to upgrade railway stations, maintain overhead line equipment and carry out geotechnical work to make sure that trains can continue to run reliably and safely.

To mark ten years of IWED, Clare, Olivia and Lorena want to highlight what a fantastic career engineering is, the opportunities it brings and encourage more women and girls to consider it as a career path.

Olivia, Senior Asset Engineer, said: “At school, we never really had conversations about future careers, and I hadn’t even considered becoming an engineer. I started out as a team organiser and worked my way up, with Network Rail funding my civil engineering degree when I was 30.

“I think it’s a real shame that women are still a minority in the engineering industry, but days like IWED can really help us to celebrate the successes and contributions of women in the sector. My message to girls who enjoy science and maths is to consider engineering as a career and to follow your passion.”

Clare, Principal Programme Engineer, said: “I’ve worked in the rail industry for a number of years, and it’s fantastic to see younger engineers, like Lorena and Olivia, joining the rail industry. A career in rail really gives you a chance to get involved in all different kinds of projects and is a great place to gain and develop your skills. We are seeing more female engineers join us, but we still have a long way to go.”

Lorena, Asset Engineer, added: “IWED is a great opportunity to showcase how diverse engineering roles can be, particularly within the railway. There are lots of opportunities to try different things in engineering until you find one that fits you.”

ENDS