Premier Communication Electronics (PCE) first female installation engineer apprentice, Libby Daymond, aged 17, was chosen to represent South Devon College as an ambassador for International Women in Engineering Day 2018 (INWED18).
INWED18 took place on Saturday 23 June 2018 and is an international awareness day to support, inspire, celebrate and raise the profile of women in engineering. It is an opportunity to draw attention to the careers in engineering for girls and young people and to celebrate the achievements of women engineers.
Libby is currently studying an NVQ Level 2-3 Electrical Engineering and Maintenance course at South Devon College. Libby spends one day at week at college and the rest of her working week getting hands-on experience at PCE, supporting a team of engineers with installation projects for the blue and amber light sectors.
South Devon College marked INWED18 on Friday 22 June with a number of events and activities to encourage girls into engineering careers. As well as being on hand to answer questions from the students, Libby presented to 60 year 9 and 10 female students about her choice of career, her apprenticeship with PCE, and her aspirations for the future.
Libby said she hasn’t looked back since choosing a career in engineering: “I was very proud to have been chosen as South Devon College’s female engineering ambassador and fly the flag for all the females working in this industry. I hope my involvement motivates other girls to join me in this exciting and varied industry. We need more girls! I’ve had nothing but encouragement from my colleagues, teachers and peers on my journey so far!”.
Karen Langley, PCEs Chief Executive is thrilled to have a Libby on the engineering team and hopes her role in INWED18 will encourage more female engineers to apply to PCE in the future: “I completely understand the pressures and concerns of females entering this industry and I really want to break the stereotypes. With just 11% of the engineering workforce being female and only 6% applying for apprenticeships, it’s time to address the gender imbalance. We are very proud of Libby and we look forward to seeing more female applicants from South Devon College in the future!”.