An engineer at BAE Systems in Barrow is celebrating after receiving a nomination for a top national award.
Beth Howard-Henry recently finished the Higher Apprentice scheme at BAE Systems and was among those shortlisted in the current and former apprentice category for the 2019 Top 50 Women in Engineering award.
The Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) campaign aims to raise awareness of the skills shortage facing the industry and to change perceptions and encourage young women to consider engineering as a career.
A member of the engineering team which created and ran the G-Eng (Guides in Engineering) project, Beth and two colleagues created the first ever Engineering Challenge badge, called Clever Cogs, which has been completed by over 20,500 girls across the UK. In March 2019 Beth and her colleagues launched the project in Singapore and created a brand new badge called She Solves.
Beth said: “It was a fantastic surprise to be nominated and I’m delighted to be among those shortlisted.”
Since joining BAE Systems Beth has been studying Mechanical Engineering part-time at Lancaster University and is also working towards becoming a Radiation Protection Advisor with the Society of Radiological Protection (SRP).
Beth added: “My role at BAE Systems is varied and I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with colleagues to spread the word about engineering as a career both in the UK and more recently in Singapore. This campaign, and what the 50 Women in Engineering campaign stands for, is something many of us are passionate about. Engineering is a brilliant career to consider and right now is a fantastic time to be involved.”
A Mental Health First-Aider within BAE Systems, Beth is also a STEM Ambassador and volunteers her time twice a week with local Girlguiding groups to teach girls and young women life skills and take them through STEM activities.
Carly Dacre, engineering manager, said: “Beth is a genuinely passionate and hard-working engineer.”
She added: “She’s made the most out of her apprenticeship by gaining as many skills as possible from across nuclear engineering as well as her extra-curricular work. She’s a great role model for engineering at a time when we’re actively looking to recruit more to join us at BAE Systems.”
The Guardian will be publishing the Top 50 List in a supplement on 24 June.
