Life as a Female Rail Engineering Apprentice

Educationwise Academy are grateful to be in a position to offer such a varied selection of apprenticeships. One of those apprenticeships is in Rail Engineering and we wanted to take a moment to talk to one of our female Rail Engineering apprentices, Helen Kemi, to get her take on life in a somewhat male dominated environment. 

Helen, thanks for agreeing to participate in our newest case study! We really appreciate it!

Let’s start with finding out a bit more about you. As a Level 3 Rail Engineering apprentice, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how it led you to choose Rail Engineering as a field of study and work? 

My name is Helen Kami and I am an apprentice with Cleshar Contract Services Limited on the Level 3 Rail Engineering apprenticeship.

As a child, I grew up helping my engineer father fix things around the house and I loved it! Being exposed to the idea of engineering at such an early age helped me to know that it was a route which I wanted to explore as an adult. I studied transport engineering at university and of all the transport options, rail was the most intriguing to me and I felt it offered a lot of career progression routes. Having already spent time learning the theory of transport engineering at university, I was keen to try a more practical approach to learning through an apprenticeship. That is when I discovered Educationwise Academy and the Level 3 Rail Engineering apprenticeship.

You are relatively new to this apprenticeship. How are you finding the programme so far?

Yes, I started the apprenticeship in September 2020 and so far it has been great. I love the fact that I am putting my learning in to real life practise. It’s a much more exciting way to learn. This apprenticeship is also giving me a good taste of what my role and future career will look like in reality. I’m learning AND doing the job at the same time.

As a Learner, how are you supported by the Educationwise Academy tutors on your apprenticeship journey?

My Tutor, Paul, is incredibly supportive. He is always free to call and approach with anything that we may need extra support on. Even if it’s just to clarify something we heard ‘in the field’ but were too shy to ask our Mentor or colleagues about at the time. He really strives to work his teaching elements around my other college placement times so there is very little extra stress or work overload. 

Why do you think there are not more women choosing rail engineering as a career path. (Or as an insider…maybe you are seeing an increase and could share information on that!)

I think it’s simply that they are not exposed to the idea of it from a young enough age. I was lucky enough to have a father in the industry and engineering just seemed like a ‘normal’ route for me. One of my sisters also read engineering at university and the other works in construction. This is just who we are. For other girls growing up, I think there should be more encouragement at school level to consider, try or pursue disciplines which are predominately more male orientated. Everyone should be allowed to try anything, and they should be encouraged to do so! 

I think also there is a common misconception that engineering involves a lot of heavy lifting, but that’s not the case. There is lots of problem solving involved and it suits a methodical, planning mindset, which females have! It’s actually suited to a lot of female strengths and I really want to encourage other women to give it a try! 

In your opinion, do you think being on an apprenticeship programme has made you more engaged with your role?

Definitely! Doing an apprenticeship has given me the confidence in myself and my skills. I can clearly see how much I would still have had to learn if I had walked into a ‘normal’ engineering job straight after university. Seeing how much theory I am putting into practise every day in my apprenticeship, I just know that I would have found it very stressful doing it any other way. Now I know that once I have completed my apprenticeship, I will confident in myself when I am sent out on my own. 

What words of encouragement could you offer other women who may be considering choosing rail engineering as a career path?

Go for it! Don’t let stereotypes and misconceptions hold you back! It’s very fulfilling to know you are succeeding in an environment where many think you will fail! It feels good to prove people wrong! Don’t let anyone discourage you! You’ll never know how far you can go if you don’t start!

Wise words from Helen! We encourage everyone out there not to be discouraged to try something unorthodox or unknown. It may just be the most rewarding thing you have ever done!

If you would like to talk to someone about your learning options with Educationwise Academy, please get in touch here.