Ahead of International Women’s Day on the 8th March, we spoke to two, leading women from our occupiers here at Birchwood Park – Marcia Oliver, Senior Radiation Protection Advisor at Nuvia; Janine Rudenko, Operations Director at Tenet Consultants; and Amy-Leigh Cook, Design Engineer at Nuvia.
In the below Q&A, Marcia, Janine and Amy each talk about their experiences as women in the UK engineering and nuclear industries. From the challenges women in STEM careers face, to how they see the next decade and beyond taking shape, they provide invaluable insight that ultimately highlights the importance of dates like International Women’s Day and championing inclusion.
Q: What challenges do women face in the industry?
Marcia Oliver: Despite progress, there is still discrimination in the UK nuclear industry. I have encountered inappropriate behaviour from both colleagues and clients over the years. Sadly, similar stories from other women continue to emerge, indicating that this is still an issue. Many women in nuclear hesitate to report such behaviour due to fear of repercussions on their careers or working environments.
Janine Rudenko: I was born in an era where women were guided to become a secretary or work in finance. Thankfully, attitudes have changed, but there is still work to be done to encourage women into STEM careers, like nuclear. One of the main challenges is understanding what exactly a career in nuclear means. To make the industry attractive and accessible, there must be more publicity in schools and colleges to showcase and promote all the different career paths and opportunities that now exist.
Amy-Leigh Cook: There’s still a lack of female representation in the industry, but I believe organsiations like Nuvia can pave the way for a more diverse field and encourage women into a nuclear career.
Q: How can the UK industry overcome these challenges?
Amy-Leigh Cook: The industry is making great strides in providing education and support for women to become established professionals. I believe continuing to welcome and understand the value of diverse perspectives and skills will be key to overcoming these challenges.
Marcia Oliver: Women need to feel confident that reporting poor behaviour will not disadvantage them. Management must take these reports seriously and address them appropriately. Educating everyone about acceptable behaviour is also essential to ensure that women are treated with respect and feel encouraged into STEM careers.
Janine Rudenko: Addressing the resource gap in the UK nuclear sector means prioritising and promoting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion more than ever before.
Women in Nuclear, STEM events, and increasing numbers of apprenticeships are going some way to address the challenges and overcome the stereotypical image of the industry. There are more and more diverse opportunities than just engineering, and I wasn’t an engineer when I started. Tenet participates in many events at schools and colleges, as starting awareness at the school level – even primary school where possible – is going to be key to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is a priority in the UK nuclear industry.
Q: How do you see the UK nuclear industry evolving over the next decade and beyond, and what role do you envision women playing in this future?
Janine Rudenko: Society in general has evolved and there needs to be more reflection of this within the industry. We need to see the desire to achieve a target of 40% of women working across all roles in nuclear. Birchwood Park is home to a large number of blue-chip companies and SMEs. Pushing towards this goal within the UK nuclear industry will encourage more women to enter the field.
Amy-Leigh Cook: The nuclear industry is bustling with activity, and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, partly due to the long duration of major projects. I foresee more women taking on leadership roles, positively impacting the next generation of female engineers based across Birchwood Park and beyond, and serving as relatable role models.
Marcia Oliver: There is a shortage of people working in the UK nuclear industry, which may worsen as experienced professionals retire. The industry needs to reach out to people, regardless of gender or background, to highlight the benefits of a career in nuclear for everyone. Clear career paths and role models are essential to attracting and retaining talent.
