Women in Engineering

How long have you been with Integral?

I have worked in the construction industry for nearly 30 years and have been at Integral for 5 ½ years.

Within Integral, where do you work now?

I work in the Projects team in Newmarket as a Design Manager and am a chartered engineer with CIBSE.

What attracted you to the industry and how did you get started?

As a teenager I was really interested in buildings and how they worked. As I am not artistic, the engineering side of buildings appealed to me. I was good at maths and the sciences and wanted to do a degree that would be relevant to my future career, so I read Building Services Engineering at Bath University.

What are your career aspirations?

My career aspirations are to be involved in as many different types of building projects as possible and excite the design teams on the net carbon zero implications.

What roles have you held prior to your current role?

I have worked for consultants, clients, main contractors and now an M&E contractor. These roles have included mechanical design engineer, site based mechanical and electrical project manager, coordination manager and design manager.

What kind of things are you dealing with in typical day at work?

Typically my role is to develop the technical design and coordination of the mechanical and electrical services on our design and build projects. This is carried out in conjunction with external consultants. I manage our consultants and the interfaces between the M&E and architecture/ structure. I review the technical design and coordination to enable the most cost effective design to be provided within the constraints of the project requirements. This involves attending frequent meetings and also attending site when the project is in the construction phase.

How do you think you make a difference within your role?

I make a difference by providing a competent friendly interface between our clients, the design team and our consultants. I lead our design team to provide a compliant but cost effective design to maximise profitability in the design that we construct.

What do you enjoy most about it– what are you passionate about, what are you proud of in relation to your job?

I enjoy interaction with people. I believe that communication with all members of the client team, design team, Integral engineers and estimators is crucial to the successful delivery of a project. There is also a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the end result when the construction is complete.

Often people assume engineering is ‘male’ career. What would you say to any girls or women considering a career in engineering?

Although it is male dominated there are always other women on the team. In the design phase that I mainly work in, there are many women involved in the process from architects, landscape designers, sustainability engineers and quantity surveyors.

There is great variety in the tasks that are undertaken in engineering that create an interesting working day/week. I love that there is a tangible end result that can be used and experienced. Getting good feedback on the building from occupants is a fantastic feeling.

How do you think having more women in engineering would benefit the team and the clients?

I think women bring a different outlook to problem solving and can change the team dynamics for the better.

Is there anything else you want to mention about working at Integral or in engineering? Any other things people would be surprised, inspired by or interested to hear?

I have been involved in one project where the architect, landscape architect, our consultant, planning consultant and the structural engineer were all female. Hopefully this will happen more and more in the future!

How long have you been with Integral? How did you hear about us?

I have been with Integral for 3 years.

I heard about Integral through a colleague when they were having an apprentice day in the Llandudno office. I had been looking to find an employer to carry out my apprenticeship with and plucked up the courage one day to take in my CV, so I was over the moon to hear back a few weeks later that I could be offered a job.

Within Integral, what is your current role and department?

I am an electrical apprentice, part of the engineering department based in North Wales.

What attracted you to the industry? How did you get into the industry?

I was amazed at how electricity worked and loved being hands on helping my father with DIY jobs and carrying out his weekly maintenance jobs in his role at the time. Growing up and working in other job roles I was unhappy and felt I should be doing something I enjoy and although I was told by a careers officer in school I would never become an electrician, I applied for a place on the course in college shortly after qualifying in care.

What are your career aspirations?

I look forward to qualifying as an electrician and having a career completing technical tasks.

What jobs or roles have you held prior to your current role?

Prior to working at Integral, I was a support worker specifically working with adults with learning disabilities.

What kind of things are you dealing with in typical day at work?

I find I deal with customers, the public, and the health and safety of myself and others while carrying out my day-to-day electrical tasks.

How do you think you make a difference within your role?

I believe I provide quality and reliability through my work.

What do you enjoy most about it– what are you passionate about, what are you proud of in relation to your job?

I enjoy the variety of technical tasks and am passionate about my work and very proud to be part of Integral.

Many people assume engineering is ‘male’ career. What would you say to any girls or women considering a career in engineering?

I would say go for it! Don’t let anyone make you believe that you can’t, it’s an equal world and we must ensure we show and keep it equal even in a male dominated workplace.

Do you have any role models that influenced you to reach for your goals?

My fiancée and my mother. My fiancée pushes me to thrive in my work daily and she’s always there to listen and help me get through the tougher days. My mum drove me towards chasing my goals as she always told me she regrets not chasing hers, she has always supported me each step of the way.

How do you think having more women in engineering would benefit the team and the clients?

Having more women on the team would help broaden peoples outlook on the engineering industry and it would be less likely  labelled as a male dominated workplace.

Is there anything else you want to mention about working at Integral or in engineering? Any other things people would be surprised, inspired by or interested to hear?

That the company show’s great equality for women in engineering which is not always found in other companies.

How long have you been with Integral?

Since the 6th April 2021

Where do you work now?

I am a plumber for the south West area covering Bristol, Cheltenham and Bath. I’m also a trainee gas engineer.

How did you get into the industry / what attracted you to the industry? What are your career ambitions/aspirations?

I’ve never been the type to suit an office job. My dad could fix a lot of things and always encouraged me when it came to using tools. I grew up taking things apart to see how they work, with the intention to put them back together but – kids get bored!

What jobs or roles have you held previously before this?

Once I qualified as a plumber I worked with a taps and showers company before moving on to an industrial steam boiler company in order to achieve my ambition of becoming gas qualified. Unfortunately, Covid got in the way, however that led to me getting a job with Integral – which is great!

What kind of things are you dealing with in typical day at work and how do you think you make a difference?

I complete a variety of jobs daily, anything from replacing a tap to fixing a desk. Since I am a plumber, my main focus are plumbing jobs which makes a difference for several staff over several locations. Many of my jobs are because a tap or toilet isn’t working, or they don’t have hot water so they’re very happy to see me.

What do you enjoy about it– what are you passionate about, what are you proud of in relation to your job?

I enjoy all aspects of it, apart from blocked urinals! I love the variety and I take pride in the results of all my training over the years.

Many people assume engineering is ‘male’ career. What would you say to any girls or women considering a career in engineering?

Girls, we do it much better! I get several compliments along the lines of “should have got a woman out to start with!” It is still a very male dominated career, so you do need to be prepared to be in a man’s world, but I’ve found that my team are very accepting and welcoming. I take pride being a female engineer and you’ll find so many people love a woman turning up! To quote most of my customers “girl power!”

How do you think having more women in engineering would benefit the team and the clients?

I believe women typically are different to men in approach to work. Sometimes a woman’s perspective pays off and clients believe we listen to them more. I explain things to the customers whereas a lot of the male engineers just get the job done and head on out to the next job. There are also plenty of times when a women is preferred such as with vulnerable people, single mums, elderly, women’s changing rooms etc…

Is there anything else you want to mention about working at Integral or in engineering? Any other things people would be surprised, inspired by or interested to hear?

If any of you are hesitant to get into engineering because you’re worried about being surrounded by men and uncomfortable jokes etc.. don’t be! You’ll be very surprised, at Integral everyone I’ve met has been very friendly and polite gentleman. They make you feel part of the team and aren’t the type of blokes you see on TV!

How long have you been with Integral?

10 years in September

Where do you work now?

I am a Project Manager in Commercial Refrigeration working in the Leicester Branch.

How did you get into the industry / what attracted you to the industry? What are your career ambitions/aspirations?

I took a temporary job cleaning hire fridges when they came back from hire. I am happy currently in my role, it is challenging, fast paced and incredibly varied so it keeps me alert. But I would like to look at what opportunities will be open to me further down the line.

What jobs or roles have you held previously before this?

I have had a variety of jobs from pub landlord to cashier to security guard.

What kind of things are you dealing with in typical day at work and how do you think you make a difference?

A typical office day will involve looking at program of works, ensuring orders are placed, talking to customers, consultants and contractors to ensure everyone is updated, cost control of my jobs, health and safety documentation and making sure all documentation is in place. A day on site generally involves dealing with issues, making sure site agents are kept updated, ensuring our engineers have all they need and checking everything is running smoothly.

What do you enjoy about it– what are you passionate about, what are you proud of in relation to your job?

I love the feeling of looking at a completed project and feeling proud of the job we have delivered; I love solving the challenges that come up and I love the camaraderie and site banter.

Many people assume engineering is ‘male’ career. What would you say to any girls or women considering a career in engineering?

Engineering is still very male dominated, its very rare for there to be other females involved in my sites across all trades, however it’s a very engaging and fun atmosphere and it’s a lot less daunting than some may think.

How do you think having more women in engineering would benefit the team and the clients?

I think more women in engineering can only ever be a good thing, more diversity brings more ideas and concepts to the table, it brings different approaches and thought processes which benefits everyone.

Is there anything else you want to mention about working at Integral or in engineering? Any other things people would be surprised, inspired by or interested to hear?

I have never had a ‘career’ before starting at Integral, only ever jobs that were “ok for now”. Integral have invested in my development and given me a wonderful career that I love, there is never a day that I don’t want to go to work and I think that speaks volumes.

How long have you been with Integral?

I’ve been with integral for over 8 years now.

Where do you work now?

I’m currently working on the anchor contract as a commercial and domestic gas service and breakdown engineer.

How did you get into the industry / what attracted you to the industry? What are your career ambitions/aspirations?

My mum’s friend was a gas engineer and knew I was looking for hands-on work. I’d been made redundant from my previous job, he knew of an apprenticeship that was coming up and told me to go for it. I was older than the others at college and of course I was the only female, that didn’t bother me as I was used to male oriented roles, having done welding since I left school. I completed a 3 year apprenticeship and became fully qualified in July 2008. My aspirations are to complete the nebosh qualification and go into the health and safety side of the business, whilst still keeping my hand in on the tools.

What jobs or roles have you held previously before this?

I completed an apprenticeship as a fabricator welder when I left school, until I was made redundant in 2003. I found out I was pregnant not long after, and had my little boy in 2004.

What kind of things are you dealing with in typical day at work and how do you think you make a difference?

I complete a variety of jobs daily, anything from replacing a tap to fixing a desk. Since I am a plumber, my main focus are plumbing jobs which makes a difference for several staff over several locations. Many of my jobs are because a tap or toilet isn’t working, or they don’t have hot water so they’re very happy to see me.

What do you enjoy about it– what are you passionate about, what are you proud of in relation to your job?

I love the fact that no 2 days are ever the same, I love the job satisfaction when I repair a broken boiler or fix a leak. With working on the same contract for such a long time, I have got to know most of the residents and built up such a good rapport with them. To some I may be the only person they’ve seen or spoken to in days.

Many people assume engineering is ‘male’ career. What would you say to any girls or women considering a career in engineering?

I love having a hands-on job, thinking on my feet and most of all love the challenges. You don’t need to physically be strong to do my job, I know my limitations and my male colleagues are more than happy to help me out. If you believe you can do it, you will achieve. In fact I have just accepted a new position with Integral as a Gas Supervisor at the University of Liverpool.

How do you think having more women in engineering would benefit the team and the clients?

There will always be a place for women in engineering. There is a client of Integral’s who have residents that have suffered domestic violence. Having me complete their annual servicing and breakdowns is massive to them as their own gas contractors don’t have any female engineers at all.

Is there anything else you want to mention about working at Integral or in engineering? Any other things people would be surprised, inspired by or interested to hear?

Don’t doubt your capabilities. Small hands and patience is what’s needed, especially when dealing with domestic breakdowns.