Not just jobs for the boys

A day-long ‘Challenging Stereotypes’ event gave 300 pupils, aged 11-12 years, the opportunity to hear about exciting careers in sectors traditionally dominated by males, and learn more about the rewarding opportunities that are equally available to girls. The event, organised by The Manufacturing Institute and Education Business Solutions, was designed to raise the aspirations and achievements of the girls by introducing them to 20 positive female role models from a variety of careers. The Manufacturing Institute’s current ‘Young Manufacturer of the Year’ – Rachael Wignall, a manufacturing technician at Wigan-based C-Tec – was one of the inspiring women to take part. She was joined by representatives of Colormatrix Europe, INEOS Fluor, Royal Dutch Shell, Chemicals Northwest, Laing O’ Rourke Northern, Manchester Airport, Fujitsu Services, Manchester City Council, British Gas Engineering Academy, Walter Carefoot & Sons, Poole Dick Associates and The Manufacturing Institute. Nicola Eagleton, education executive for The Manufacturing Institute, said: “It is rare to see occupations such as manufacturing and engineering portrayed as glamorous careers on TV programmes and students and their parents and teachers tend to think about options such as the media, teaching and medicine first. They ignore the fantastic opportunities available to women in modern industry - not just on the technical side, but in business support areas such as marketing, sales, design and logistics. “The Challenging Stereotypes event really opened the girls’ eyes as to the possibilities available to them.” North Manchester High School for Girls, which draws in many pupils from areas of serious deprivation, is raising attainment through its emphasis on science and associated subjects. Around a quarter of the pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, many of who do not speak English as their first language. Rachael Wignall added: “My manufacturing career has been extremely challenging as well as fun and rewarding. I would encourage any young person to look beyond the stereotypes and consider the exciting possibilities of working in industry. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm the school girls showed and hopefully we have encouraged a few more budding manufacturers of tomorrow.” In her first three years with Wigan-based electronics equipment manufacturer C-TEC, Rachael’s experience has spanned all areas of the business from manufacturing to sales and marketing. She was involved in the original design of a flagship product that now turns over £500,000 and in another that enhanced the existing product range. The Manufacturing Institute named her Young Manufacturer of the Year last autumn.