Women advised not to wait to be ‘encouraged’ into engineering careers

Rebecca Prendergast said engineering offers excellent career progression, the opportunity to work on exciting multi-million-pound projects and earn higher than average salaries.

Prendergast is currently a senior production manager for operations at Northern’s TrainCare Centre at Newton Heath in Manchester.

“Engineering has so much to offer in terms of a fulfilling career,” she said in a statement. “Women shouldn’t wait for anyone to ‘encourage’ them into it, they should take the initiative and make it happen themselves - they won’t regret it.”

She continued: “I appreciate it’s still a male-dominated industry – but the same benefits that make this a great career for men are just as true for women.

“I get the opportunity to work on something integral to the success of the region I call home – and that’s incredibly rewarding.”

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Having originally joined Northern as a train conductor in 2013, Prendergast has climbed several rungs up the engineering career ladder.

She made the move into the engineering team in 2018 when she became a depot train driver and went on to become an instructor for other depot train drivers in 2020.

Since then, she has taken on a bigger role at the TrainCare Centre, working as a shift production manager before being promoted into her current role in December 2023.

Prendergast added: “It hasn’t always been plain sailing – I didn’t get some of those jobs on the first attempt – but you have to just keep going and never give up.

“What I’ve found to be the case is that, within engineering, there’s a great sense of willing you on to succeed. Why wouldn’t a woman want to work in that environment?”

The annual International Women in Engineering Day takes place on June 23, 2024.

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