In the second of our series of interviews leading up to International Women in Engineering Day we speak with Lucy Keegans-Wood, Principal Geotechnical Engineer in our Birmingham office, to find out what directed her in to a career in engineering and her thoughts on how we could encourage more women into the industry.

What attracted you to engineering? 
My dad has been a big inspiration for me, and I suppose it was him who introduced me to engineering. He worked as a building services engineer before retirement but was a general jack of all trades. As a little girl I had my own set of overalls at home and used to hang out with him in the garage and workshop building cars, machining clock parts and generally getting my hands dirty! I remember when he built the extension on our house and I took a great interest in the clayey soil he was digging out for the foundations! I studied geology at both GCSE and A Level at school, taught by the most amazingly enthusiastic geology teacher and knew after that I wanted to study geology at university. Following my BSc degree at Birmingham University I discovered the MSc in geotechnical engineering – what could be better, engineering and geology combined! So I passed my masters and got a graduate job as a geotechnical engineer and the rest is history!

Why do you enjoy working for PJA?
Having moved from a very large consultancy I really enjoy the smaller feel of PJA. Everyone knows each other and it really has more of a family atmosphere to it. We all have the opportunity to influence the way things work here and we’re not just one of many thousand engineers.

As mum and part time worker it can be a real struggle to balance work and home life. Balancing the pressures to be the best mum I can be and maintain the career I’ve worked so hard to develop can be tough. At PJA there is a great appreciation of that, and they offer the flexibility to work around the various unpredictable parenting moments which makes all the difference.

What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on many different engineering projects and I’m always proud when I drive past a site I’ve worked on and can see the designs come to life. I love having the opportunity to point things out to my children and say ‘mummy worked on that’. Two really special moments were when I got chartered with The Geological Society in 2017 and then accepted onto the Register of Ground Engineering Professionals in 2018.

Have you ever felt in the minority as a woman in engineering?
I began my career in 2005 and at that time there were a few women engineers working in my team so I’ve never really felt in the minority in that respect, however when working out of the office on construction sites women still tend to be in the minority. I have spent time working on large construction sites where I’ve been the only female present. This can be a really tough role as a consultant, when you’re there as the client’s representative, to ensure projects are built to the specification, however giving instructions can be met with resistance when dealing with lots of experienced (‘old school’ and sexist) contractors who think their way is the best way and won’t be told otherwise (by a young woman). Recently there seems to be a greater respect for women on construction sites and quite often now there’s even a designated (clean) ladies toilet! I think that’s progress!

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

Making young girls aware of what ‘engineering’ is and letting them know what opportunities are available to them is really important. Many will enjoy studying maths and science at school but may not make the connection that engineering is a career path that can be followed. More work experience opportunities would be beneficial, although perhaps these days this is difficult due to the health and safety implications. I attended a ‘take your daughter to work day’ with my dad where I got to see his workplace and the machinery and plant he worked with. Had I not had that opportunity I may never have realised I had an interest in it! Also letting them know there are many aspects to engineering, as even though I grew up with an interest in how things worked from an electrical and mechanical point of view, I soon developed an interest in how things worked from a soil and rock point of view!

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