FEATURE
Here come the girls – from left , Rachael Evans , Hester Williams and Ella Snaith are part of Sembcorp UK ’ s growing female workforce . years since I graduated , I ’ m still learning about them all .
“ It ’ s true that ‘ you can ’ t be what you can ’ t see ’ – so I ’ m pleased the Teesside area is so good for showing more women in different roles .”
Ella Snaith , 21 , is the first woman working in the water treatment part of the site . Despite her young age , Ella has worked as a process technician for Sembcorp for almost four years , having started as an apprentice .
She found out about careers in the process sector at secondary school through the Teesside-based High Tide Foundation , which provides meaningful careers advice and work placement opportunities .
“ I went to Amsterdam to look at engineering projects over there ,” she recalled . “ Working in the process sector took my interest and I was at Middlesbrough College for a year before I heard about the apprenticeship at Sembcorp . I completed that in three years , before being taken on full-time .”
Bailey Mercer , 25 , also thinks a career in engineering is a great option if you prefer practical work . “ There are a range of different paths available and the apprenticeship route is great , as you earn while you learn .” she said .
“ No two days are the same , there ’ s always new problems to solve and new challenges to overcome . Industrial environments can be male-dominated but it doesn ’ t mean that women can ’ t do these jobs . It ’ s important that young girls are aware of the opportunities available to them and if it interests them , that they explore their options .”
Stacey Ritchie , 37 , a process operator at Sembcorp , also urges women not to be put off working in what have traditionally been male-dominated environments .
“ Personally , I enjoy the variety of the work and compared to working as a travel agent where it was all girls , I feel like this suits me better ,” she reflected . “ At Sembcorp , there are a lot of different job options and I ’ d encourage other women to explore them .”
Hester , whose job has taken her to China , America and Holland , says that chemical engineering opens the door to the world . However , there are plenty of opportunities right here on Teesside .
“ You don ’ t have to travel to find a good job in chemical engineering or the process sector ,” she said . “ If you look at what ’ s coming to this area with the net zero agenda , it ’ s massive – there are going to be some really interesting projects and companies coming here .”
Hester adds that great progress is being made when it comes to supporting more women and girls to consider STEM careers .
“ At school , I ’ d never been told about engineering as an option by careers advisers ,” she recalled .
“ My dad knew a chemist , and he said , ‘ Maybe your daughter would like to be a chemical engineer ’ - and that was the first thing I ’ d heard about such a job .”
Nowadays , she is hopeful that is evolving . “ It ’ s already changed between mine and Rachael ’ s time at university and I think it ’ s probably getting even better now ,” she says . “ I ’ m sure that engineering is talked about in schools more now – in fact it is on the curriculum .
“ Hopefully , we are showing women and girls , ‘ You can do this ’.”
For more information about Sembcorp and Wilton Internation , visit sembcorp . com / uk
The voice of business in the Tees region | 27