Heather Clarke

"As an Explorer, I seek out new things and do my very best to break and repair them so they work. If something doesn’t work first time, some people just give up, but not me! As a big picture person, I work much better if I can see the whole jigsaw box rather than the detail of the individual jigsaw pieces. In everything I do, I try to share knowledge with others (my Trainer personality trait!) in a way that they will understand. They way in which I share knowledge, such as using different language, is helped a lot by my Communicator personality."

"I now do a variety of different jobs, all using my engineering skills in different ways. When I coach or train engineers I am helping them through communicating and presenting, to understand themselves and the things they want in their lives and careers. How to be successful in getting balance between work, home, family and hobbies. How to achieve professional registration to become Chartered Engineers.As a Non Executive Director I along with the other Directors have legal responsibility to act in a way to protect the companies best interests. Helping them to set their goals and growth plans, advising (using my career history and knowledge) on governance matters (are they working safely, legally and within the money they have). It is my responsibility to be supportive but to also ask lots of tough questions of the Directors who operate the business on a daily basis. This is generally office based but also involves going into their factories and seeing research projects seeing ideas become reality.My last job was to look after health and safety for a team of 350 - 2000 oil, gas and offshore wind consultants - this really meant how could I help individuals be as safe as possible as they went about their job in the office, on site or at home. I thought of creative ways to share safety messages so they were remembered. Everyone needed to be aware of new safety issues, how they affect their jobs and what the expectations were on behaviour, in terms of safety, at work. I have had the opportunity to travel and had a 2 year family adventure living and working in Texas. I have travelled to Denmark and previously worked in the USA, Canada and all over the UK."

"My mum has always inspired me. She returned to school and completed everything she didn’t do first time around. She did this whilst balancing life with two young children. She now has a Masters and a professional career in Computing, programming and project management. I was also extremely lucky to spend days with my neighbours, Mr and Mrs MCKay, who ran a small engineering company, which was a great training ground for an 8 year old. I have had a very long and fun skip and jump around three exciting industries (Rail, Energy and Manufacturing). If at any point I became bored with my role, I turned a little to get a different perspective and a new set of tools to enable me to take on new challenges. Life is not a ladder to be raced to the top. More a jungle gym to be played on as you climb upwards or side wards or even downwards sometimes. Challenges and new experiences have motivated me, along with the sense of being valued and adding value to everything I do.I have worked part time (4 days) for 15 of my 27 years in industry, enabling me to balance home and work. This has not affected my ability to grow and develop within my career but something that has enabled me to be present in all areas of life."

"I am a mum of two, a Trustee for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, an e-mentor for Brightside - helping disadvantaged youngsters reach for their dreams, a Cub leader, and a Forest school assistant, taking engineering into the woods. I like reading, I’m a Past destination imagination challenge master and a crafter and quilt maker!I am a Women's Engineering Society Top 50 Women engineer - Current and Former Apprentice.I have been admitted in to The Worshipful Company of Engineers as a Liveryman, which is open to Chartered Engineers at Freeman and Fellow Engineers for Liveryman. It also means I have been admitted as a Freeman of the City of London and in theory can drive my sheep across London Bridge."

"There is no such thing as a typical day as every day is different. In my new role I provide advice and support to the Executive Directors of the company, helping them to grow and develop the business in a safe and sustainable way. As part of this I am also supporting the provision for the next generation of Manufacturing apprentices. This can involve walking through the workshops, reading lots of papers, looking at what the business wants to look like in the future and how we can make it happen but more importantly looking back at my work experiences over the years either when using tools or sat in an office and applying the learning. It also gives me the opportunity to learn and see cutting edge manufacturing techniques in robotics and additive manufacturing.As a coach and trainer I get to help other engineers become the best version of themselves by giving them the tools and space to focus on their careers.In my previous role I interacted with lots of people and changed how they view safety. As well as supporting their safety and engineering. This also included supporting my colleague’s mental health as a Mental Health First Aider.Over the years I have had jobs that have taken me on railway sites, in workshops, and depots. One that took me overseas to Texas to run teams in a completely new industry. Others that have had me sat at a desk collaborating with colleagues who become friends as we change the world through engineering."

"I left school at 16 as an apprentice on the Railway. Whilst working I did my BTec qualifications part time and then latterly added my degree on a fulltime basis. My career as Apprentice to Non Executive Director and volunteering Presidents Apprentice to Trustee resulting in being awarded Top 50 Women Engineer shows you can enter work a different levels and still be successful if you want to succeed and are prepared to work hard.Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels)Vocational qualification (Diploma, Certificate, BTEC, NQV4 or equivalent)Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) Mechanical EngineeringChartered Engineer (CEng) Fellowship Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Trustee of Institution of Mechanical Engineers Liveryman Worshipful Company of EngineersBrightside E-Mentor Mental Health First Aid Topset Investigator (incident investigation support) Lapsed Prince Practitioner - Project Management"