In the third and final of our series of interviews leading up to International Women in Engineering Day on 23rd June, we caught up with Michelle Lee, Associate Director in our Birmingham office, to find out what led her into engineering and about her career to date.

What attracted you to engineering?

From a young age I played with soils and machines as my family own a plant hire business. I have always enjoyed science and geography and it was whilst studying earth sciences at John Moore University that I was first really introduced to engineering geology. The lecturers at Liverpool and then during an MSc in Leeds were the ones who really secured my interest in the subject and I still remember many of their anecdotes and stories to this day.

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

I think I take most pride in watching staff develop and grow in their own careers, wherever that takes them.

Why do you enjoy working for PJA?

The desire to do a good job and build strong relationships with the clients is reflected throughout the business and has resulted in a network of likeminded individuals, who then inspire and build their own teams with the same values.

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

If I look back at my career there have been occasions where I have been treated differently or looked over because of being female. Things have obviously changed a lot in recent years. I think the mix of both men and women you now see at meetings and on sites is testament to that.

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

I think it needs to start from an early age and remove the stereotypes drummed into us as children. I also think that careers education needs to be improved and initiatives like STEM are working to achieve this. The term ‘engineering’ covers a massive range of jobs and activities and I don’t think people see this.

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