Female Jaguar Land Rover apprentice shares advice on entering male-dominated industry

As part of International Women’s Day on March 8, Hannah shares her experiences as a young woman entering a male-dominated industry. 

“When I was at school and college, I was never really told I could go into engineering by my teachers. I’ve always been practical and hands-on, so I started an A-level in Art and Design, but I was pushed to apply for university even though I was never really interested.

“I’ve always enjoyed working on practical projects with my dad around the house, and so he helped me apply for the Make UK apprenticeship programme. Four months later, I found out that I got the job, and I started my course in September 2021. Since then, I’ve been getting stuck in, working on lots of different projects and being trained in various engineering disciplines.

“In the short time that I’ve been at Make UK, I’ve worked on projects involving programmable logic controllers, electrical components, welding, bench and lean manufacturing. There’s so much to take in but I love it. Having a design background, I really enjoy using computer aided design software to map out certain components. It’s a natural fit for me.

“For every topic we cover, there is a five-week course with lots of practical exercises. So far, we’ve covered filing, drilling and sawing. I’ve completed two assessments that I get marked on to pass the course. These assessments involved making a tool that measures angles, which required lots of filing and cutting to create an end piece.

“I’m already looking forward to the weeks ahead: we will be focusing on robotics, turning, fluid power and mechanical maintenance. In September, I will finish the course for the year and will then move onto my placement at JLR. I can’t wait!
“There are a lot of stereotypes in the industry that stop women from joining. The bias means many young girls think that they can’t be an engineer and that men are the only ones who can. It’s time we change that!

“For me, working with my hands is second nature — my dad recently asked me to fix the electrics upstairs in our house because he couldn’t do it himself. I removed all the plug sockets, cleaned them and refitted with switches and sockets to modernise them. Doing an apprenticeship wasn’t a big leap for me at all. 

“For any young girl thinking about manufacturing or engineering apprenticeships, I say just do it. Don’t be scared and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. I’ve definitely proved myself since starting and it’s really changed my mindset towards the industry – it really is welcoming, and you can learn so much.”