Engineering Council
Inspire an Engineer
Engineering is a rewarding, problem-solving career – hear from some talented and inspiring professionally registered engineers about their careers, achievements and how they discovered engineering. Find out more about how you can become professionally registered.
Abigail Hutty CEng FIMechE MIET works in a senior role on the ExoMars Rover Vehicle at Airbus Defence and Space. She is responsible for the design development of spacecraft structures, from concept design through to final manufacture and build, and all her work to date has been on space missions.
“I was very fortunate to find engineering as a career path. It is a profession I’m truly passionate about, and thoroughly enjoy. I’m determined to do everything I can to give young people both the inspiration and the information they need to understand whether they would enjoy a career in engineering too.”
Chloe Etheridge EngTech MICE is a Site Engineer at BAM Nuttall and is currently working on the Crossrail project, constructing the new Elizabeth Line at Farringdon Station in central London. She is also winner of the 2017 ICE Jean Venables Medal Award for outstanding new Engineering Technicians.
“A career in Civil Engineering includes endless learning, problem solving, organisation skills, overcoming challenges, visualising and creating design, balancing and managing resources, and ultimately building exciting infrastructure to really make a difference to our lives. What I most enjoy about my job is the collaboration and teamwork of a variety of skilled and experienced people to successfully create something from concept to reality.”
Shakir Tahir IEng MIET is a self-employed Mechanical Design Engineer and specialises in delivering structurally robust, reliable and thermally efficient electro-mechanical systems that operate in harsh environments.
“Working predominantly in the defence sectors has meant working with a lot of cutting-edge technologies. My ethos is that knowledge is for sharing. My partner and I are both engineers and one day I would like to be in position where we both can work together to promote engineering to young adults from poor families in less developed parts of the world.”
Helen Cavill CEng MIMechE is a Process Improvement Manager at RPC M&H Plastics Beccles (who make plastic packaging manufacturer for personal care and healthcare). She is also inner of the WES Prize at the 2015 IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year awards.
“There is no typical day. Often things start with a call to go to production because there is a problem with one of the plastic bottles. I gather samples and information, then research materials and processes, analyse the data and come up with a theory of what is causing the problem. I carry out trials to prove my theory and implement changes to fix the problem. I really enjoy working with everyone, from shop floor to international supplier contacts, and my favourite part is having one of my theories proven to be correct and solve a problem that was a complete mystery to start with.”
Helen Randell MEng CEng MICE is a Senior Engineer at Buckingham Group Contracting Limited. She has worked on several sustainability projects, including development work on Energy from Waste plants, and is the 2015 winner of the Karen Burt Award.
“I feel extremely fortunate that my love of problem solving has formed the basis of my career. It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to share my experiences with other young women and to know that some have been inspired to join the exciting and ever changing world of engineering, where we really can make a difference.”