Women should ‘dare to be different’ says nuclear apprentice A female engineering apprentice at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire, believes that women should ‘dare to be different’ this National Apprenticeship Week.
Amy Lambden a 21-year-old from Thatcham, who has just graduated from the prestigious AWE apprenticeship scheme, one of the oldest schemes in the UK, wants to encourage other young women into technical apprenticeships.
The 21-year-old said that there is still a misconception about what engineering actually is:
“When we do outreach programmes to local schools, we ask girls, what do you think engineering is? And a lot of the answers are cars and buildings and that’s it. But actually it’s so much more, engineering has really changed over the last ten years.” “Growing up, I really enjoyed maths at school and I was fascinated with how things around the house worked, from digital clocks to televisions. After studying A-Levels I applied for university, but my heart wasn’t in it. My sister encouraged me to apply to AWE – I was accepted and haven’t looked back.”
Amy said she joined the AWE scheme because she “dared to be different.”
“A lot of people don’t (dare to be different), because they worry about stereotypes and about what other people will think, but I wanted to take a different path,” she added. “During this National Apprenticeship Week when young people across the UK will hopefully be looking at apprenticeships, I want to encourage more girls to look at engineering. Don’t be scared of this industry. Engineering is fun and interesting. You will love it, like I have. “And being an apprentice means I’m better off financially than my university friends. I feel that because I started my career early, I can progress up the career ladder much faster.”