Jane Brookes

"Engineering is all about making the world work and about making life better for everyone. The personality type combination I have of Developer, Manager and Quality Controller shows someone who wants to and can find solutions: then make it possible for the solutions to be created and ensure the solutions are safe and can be applied fairly."

"I design the control systems that operate the switchgear on the electricity network. That means if there is an accident involving the electricity supply, my systems spot it and open the switches to cut the electricity off from the accident. It saves lives and reduces damage. My systems must be able to identify where the accident is to remove the electricity from that area, while making sure the rest of the network has its supply intact. There is a lot of satisfaction when a system has been built and commissioned and I get to feel ownership of the parts of the network I have developed. There is demand the world over for electrical engineers and opportunities to live and work abroad. Even if you have no desire for international travel, I get to travel all over the country and get away from the desk. A previous job had me working outside throughout the summers and working either at home or in the office through the winters. I love knowing that what I do directly impacts everyone in the area on a day to day basis and can save lives. My own career path has taken me from the factories where switchgear and relays are made, to designing and testing the substations they are installed in to a consultancy specialising in the protective devices. Opportunities along the way have been to test and run the network out in the field, to run the network from control desks and to manage other engineering teams."

"Initially no one inspired me. I can be rather contrary so being told that I can't, will make me want to know why not? Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace were very much ahead of their time and didn't get the recognition they deserved and without the brave women of the suffragette movement, only the very privileged women in our society would get the chances we enjoy and take for granted now. I don't come from a privileged background. My school was all girls, preaching that we could do anything we wanted with our lives, then pushed us into caring - either care for the elderly or nursery nursing. Engineering was inconceivable."

"I am a Brownie leader and the mum of a couple of teenagers."

"I draw up the electrical circuit that combine the components of the system and work with the different types of engineer who design the large equipment and the buildings that house it all. I also program the devices that monitor the electricity on the system and I help the people who test the system, to ensure it works as intended."

"Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels): maths, science, computing, English, French, history, CDT (craft design and technology) Post secondary education (College, A-levels, NVQ3 or equivalent): A Level pure and applied maths, physics and chemistry Vocational qualification (Diploma, Certificate, BTEC, NQV4 or equivalent): HND Electrical & Electronic Engineering Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) BEng(hons) Electrical Engineering "