WS Atkins : Atkins engineer appointed to WISE Young Women’s Board - 11 August 2015

Atkins engineer appointed to WISE Young Women's Board - 11 August 2015

Elaine Dalgarno, structural engineer in Atkins' oil and gas division, is one of seven young women from across the science, engineering and technology industries who will join the WISE Young Women's Board.

Selected from over 80 applicants, Elaine joins the three existing members and will help young women to succeed as they enter the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) workforce and to navigate through their early careers.

Previously involved in the WISE Student Colloquium, Elaine has taken part in a number of initiatives and careers fairs with WISE and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). She joins six others from companies across the STEM spectrum including British Sugar, Goldman Sachs, Imperial College, Intel, Rolls-Royce PLC and Virgin Media in taking up a seat on the Young Women's Board.

Elaine said: "I am passionate about my career in engineering and sharing it with others. I believe that engaging with young people and presenting the fun side of STEM subjects can help to get them thinking about possible career options.

"I've already witnessed first-hand the good work WISE are doing in promoting STEM subjects to young women and as a Board member I'm now really looking forward to meeting lots of other female engineers and hearing what they are doing to encourage others. These networking opportunities are extremely important and we should be making the most of any chance to share information and help achieve the Board's goal of getting an additional one million more women into STEM roles.

"I'm hoping to further promote and raise awareness of how broad engineering can be - there are so many different opportunities to suit individuals. I want to continue to encourage long term liaison with schools and the classroom to build on relationships so we can all learn what works best and what doesn't in promoting STEM subjects."

Elaine joined Atkins three years ago following the completion of her civil engineering degree, a route that had been decided on after she attended a week long residential 'Insight to Engineering' course at Strathclyde University. Held only for girls, the course introduced the variety of paths a career in engineering can offer and offered site visits to various projects to inspire those on the course.

Matt Browell-Hook, operations manager in Atkins' oil and gas team in Aberdeen, said: "Elaine joined us as a graduate and has grown into a valued member of our structural team. The election to the WISE Young Women's Board is great recognition of the fantastic work Elaine has contributed throughout her time. Our company values of equality and promoting engineering are exemplified in Elaine and we're delighted with her latest achievement."

Elaine is currently part of the structural integrity management team in Atkins' Aberdeen office, working on a number of projects in the North Sea. She said: "It is quite fast paced and I have a lot of client engagement through meetings and offshore trips - there is always lots to do!"

You can view Atkins' 'Britain's Got Talented Female Engineers' report here. Developed in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, Rolls-Royce and BP, this unique survey asked 300 professional female UK engineers what inspired them to choose a career in engineering and how they feel about their choice.

WISE Young Women's Board members will host a live online session on next steps in STEM for girls on GCSE and 'A' level results days (13and 20 August), find out more here.

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