In the first in our series of interviews leading up to International Women in Engineering Day we caught up with Nikki Slack, Principal Engineer in our Reading office, to find out what led her into engineering and about her career to date.

What attracted you to a career in engineering?

In primary school we visited the site of a new by-pass in the village where I grew up during its construction. I was amazed by the scale of the construction and the work it entailed although at that point it never occurred to me that I could be involved in anything like that. In secondary school I always enjoyed the more technical subjects, and when a chance came up to do a 5-day residential course called ‘Into Science, Engineering & Building’ I jumped at the chance. I really enjoyed the activities we did on that week but still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I completed an MOD apprenticeship in electronics engineering once I left school, but knew this wasn’t for me. I was looking for another technical role when a job came up in a local authority highways design office, and that’s where I had my first taste of civil engineering and loved it. I started working there in a very junior role as a technical assistant, studied part time to gain my degree in civil engineering and worked my way up to assistant engineer level before relocating to England, where I continued my career progression to principal engineer.

What are you most proud of in your career to date?

I’m most proud of the fact that I gained my BSc in civil engineering on a part time basis over five years, doing a 100 mile round trip one day a week, while working full time, raising a young son with autism and building my own house. The route into a career in engineering doesn’t always have to be through A levels and university. It’s important that young people know that not going to university doesn’t preclude them from a career in engineering.

Of the projects I’ve worked on, the one I am most proud of is providing the on-site civil engineering design for a 650-unit development on a particularly difficult site in south London, which was a flagship development for a major housebuilder.

Why do you enjoy working for PJA?

I enjoy working at PJA because of the interesting projects we work on, the really friendly staff and the very supportive management. I also love the fact that I’m getting involved in projects at a very early stage and able to have a positive influence on the design right at the start.

Have you ever felt in the minority as a woman in engineering?

In all of the offices I have worked in I have been either the only female engineer or in a very small minority. However, whilst always being in a minority, I have never felt discriminated against or that my contribution was less valued than the male engineers I was working alongside. I feel that I have always been respected and treated equally to the male engineers. To address the bias, we need to encourage more females into engineering, show them that engineering is an option if they want it to be and try to remove the stereotype that engineering is a man’s world.

How do you think we can address the skills shortage and encourage more women into engineering?

I think education and initiatives in primary schools and the early years of secondary school are really important. Engineering may not always be considered as an option in young people who have no direct experience or family members/friends within the industry. Give young people, and particularly girls, a taste of what engineering is like before they make their choices for GCSEs.

I think companies should consider employing school leavers on apprenticeship type schemes where they can receive on-the-job training and study part time. University isn’t suitable for everyone but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have the potential to be an amazing engineer one day.

Work experience is also really important, especially somewhere as progressive, welcoming and friendly as PJA. Get girls in for work experience and let them see what it’s like to work for such a great company with really friendly and supportive staff, and show them what a modern engineering office looks like. By capturing the attention of budding engineers before they leave school, there is the potential to employ them on summer placements from university and be the first choice when they graduate, or to employ them on a training scheme/apprenticeship type arrangement where they can be trained within the office and study part time to gain an engineering qualification.

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