Natasha Pitts

"Natasha is an Electrical Design Engineer, designing power solutions for industrial situations all over the world.As an ‘Explorer’ type, Natasha searches out information, and experiments to solve electrical power problems and provide design solutions. The ‘Quality Controller’ type is an important part of her role as she needs to make sure her designs are to industry standards and specifications, meeting legal requirements, as well as meeting the client’s technical specification. Her role is certainly a ‘Coordinator’ as she provides a valuable service to clients and her team by offering solutions to their problems. "

"As an Electrical Design Engineer, Natasha designs a range of secure power solutions for industrial applications all over the world. These include DC battery charge systems, uninterruptable power supplies to make sure computers run for a while even if the power is off, and generators for industrial situations. Everyone around the world needs power and it needs to be reliable.Natasha creates and designs plans for electrical systems, specifications and parts lists to enable systems to be built. She needs to understand a client’s needs, the technical specification and how much money they want to spend, and the requirements of the equipment to be designed. She also needs to know how her design will be tested, provide technical support, answering questions and solving problems that other teams may have. She also needs to consider electrical regulations and safety requirements. She then communicates her design using technical software and reports. She says the best bit about her job is seeing her designs being manufactured and working. Electrical engineers can start on salaries from £20,000 and earn up to £60,000 per year when experienced."

"Natasha initially wanted to be a lawyer. After completing her A-Levels in Biology, History and Law, she decided that she did not want to go to university and looked at apprenticeship routes instead, but could not find a Law apprenticeship. At the time, she had a part-time job which included taking ice cream machines apart and cleaning them and this reignited a passion for science and engineering. She decided to apply for an Advanced Apprenticeship with Dale Power Solutions. Natasha worked and studied for 2 years as an Advanced Apprentice and then moved onto a Higher Apprenticeship which gave her the opportunity to continue her studies at university. Natasha then studied for a Foundation Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and she was awarded a permanent contract as an Electrical Design Engineer at the same time. She continued her degree and has just completed the final year of her BEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, passing with First Class Honours. Well done Natasha!Natasha has also achieved professional status with Engineering Technician Accreditation through the Institute of Engineering and Technology. She gets a lot of letters after her name! "

"When she is not designing power systems, Natasha spends her spare time doing Irish dancing and archery! Natasha wants to continue her career and to look into being in management and becoming a chartered engineer. She is on the right path towards achieving this. Natasha says that girls should not be put off working in this fantastic industry. She meets females in her work, and the male engineers she works with are kind and keen to share their knowledge. "