Comment: Becoming an engineer can set you on the path to a meaningful career

At school I enjoyed subjects like Maths and Physics which involved problem solving. At the same time, I wanted to do something that would have a bigger meaning or impact in the world. As I explored these subjects and the idea of engineering in the energy sector, I realised it was a career where if you did the job well, you could contribute to people’s everyday life in a positive way. I was determined not to take on debt from going to university and decided to take the apprenticeship route at National Grid where I could study and develop skills while earning a salary – and gain experience in a real working environment immediately.  The apprenticeship appealed to me as it is a varied course with university learning, office work experience and on-site hands-on experience.  This allowed me to learn a mixture of skills equipping me for a future in the industry. 

I’ve been at National Grid for over 10 years and have never looked back. After obtaining my Power Systems Engineering Foundation degree during my apprenticeship, I took on my first manager role at the age of 21. Being in a huge company with wide reaching impact, development opportunities, and so many different roles and teams to consider has shown me that engineering can open up a huge range of career paths. From fault finding and operations management to more strategic, design and systems role, there are jobs for people from different backgrounds with different engineering interests.

At National Grid, we carried out research which shows that the UK energy sector will need to fill 400,000 green jobs in order to reach net zero by 2050. This will include mechanical, electrical, civil engineers. We know we’ll need to recruit people from diverse backgrounds and with different experiences that can bring new ideas and help solve the challenges ahead. However, as the hunt for talent continues, there are still perceptions and stereotypes that need to be challenged and overcome.

Since I joined National Grid as the only female apprentice in my cohort over 10 years ago, it’s great to see more diversity coming through our apprentice intakes year on year. It’s a really exciting time to have talent from all walks of life joining the workforce that’s tackling climate change. There’s a real drive to find different individuals that can bring new skills and perspectives that will help accelerate the energy transition.

In my current role, I manage a portfolio of substations which transport electricity around the North East region of the UK.  I lead a team of around 200 colleagues who carry out critical work on the UK’s energy system. Our day-to-day work involves a huge focus on upholding the network resilience through maintaining our equipment, replacing equipment and connecting new green generation to the network.  A key priority of mine is reducing our environmental footprint by focusing on SF6 Leak repairs and decarbonising our fleet by moving to Electric Vehicles. 

Days like National Engineering Day, which has been pioneered by the Royal Academy of Engineering, are important for celebrating and promoting the profession, highlighting the long-term, meaningful jobs available which have the potential to change the world. They also remind everyone of the brilliant talent working behind the scenes to bring us closer to net zero. Engineers aren’t always visible, but they are an incredibly vital part of the UK’s workforce. Different industries and businesses need to continue raising awareness and inspiring people from school age through to individuals considering a career change, so that we can continue to build and strengthen the UK’s engineering capabilities and have an even greater impact on the world.

Emma Pepper, head of Substations and Cables, North-East, at National Grid