Inspiring women to get into STEM Careers

Budding female scientists and engineers have been told ‘never give up on your dreams’ by an inspiration colleague at Barnstone.

Josie Morrissey encouraged more than 50 students to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at an International Women’s Day event at the University of Derby.

Women currently represent just 21% of the UK workforce who are in STEM-related jobs.

The environmental coordinator began her career as an apprentice at Aberthaw, and now manages environmental performance of Cement’s logistics across the UK.

Josie said: “When I heard about this event, I felt compelled to attend, because as a youngster I had attended a similar type of initiative which sparked my desire to get into the engineering industry.

“I presented my experiences about being the only woman to do what I did, and how I felt the company had always strongly supported me. Key to my presentation were messages about being the right person for the right job; the importance of being a team player; and never giving up on your dreams.”

Josie was the only speaker at the event who had completed a modern apprenticeship, rather than going through the traditional academic route.

Chris Stephens, plant manager at Barnstone, added: “Josie is a fantastic advocate not just for our industry, but for opportunities for women in our industry.

“We fully support her desire to spread the word about Tarmac as a desirable employer of the future; we are already looking forward to meeting some of the students who attended the talk when they come to Barnstone Cement Plant for work experience.”

#BUILDINGOURFUTURE

“When I heard about this event, I felt compelled to attend, as a youngster I had attended a similar type of event, which sparked my desire to get into the engineering industry.”

Josie Morrissey, Environmental Coordinator
Cement and Lime