North East Lincolnshire: the place to be for young women and girls

As reported, the fair – held at Grimsby Auditorium – saw thousands of teenagers attend. Organised by the Council, supported by Grimsby Institute and Franklin College with the Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) village sponsored by Phillips 66. It gave the 14 and 15-year-olds a taste of what is on offer for their futures here in North East Lincolnshire; many were keen to highlight the great futures that girls could have.

Ørsted, a leading renewable energy company based on Grimsby Docks, has launched the ‘Women into Wind’ initiative to help more young women into exciting careers.

Meanwhile, the Council is also using grant funding to support 15 projects with an education and skills focus - two are supporting young girls and women to build their confidence to make the step into more formal training or work.

Businesses attending the fair outlined what they are doing.  Ruth Barber is a Human Resources Business Partner at Phillips 66 Humber Refinery.

Phillips 66 - From left, Paul Fursey, Refinery Manager; Ruth Barber, Human Resources Business Partner; Laura Donington, Decarbonisation and Internal Communications Specialist and Mark Riley, Project Controls Lead, Emerging Energy

“We have fantastic opportunities and careers available, as always, the best person will always get the job, the problem is many girls aren’t shown it as a career choice which means half the population aren’t applying.

“We are working hard to change this, we have the Inspirational Women programme where we work with Year 10 students, improving their confidence and connecting them with inspiring women from Phillips 66 apprentices and techs to chemists and engineers. Showing that they too can aspire to these fantastic roles.”

She added: “We already employ above the national average of female engineers and have an amazing team on site that are spearheading our decarbonisation journey, helping us to continue to provide energy and improve lives.”

Women into Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME) is another local business led group formed to encourage females to consider having their future careers in the industry. Julie Shave is a lecturer who supports the group and believes Grimsby is the perfect place for women and girls.

“The area is leading the way in terms of renewable energy and regeneration, and a number of companies are actively looking to recruit women and young girls into different roles.

“There is so much going on in the area, more than people may realise. There are masses of opportunities that are readily available for everyone.”

Many of these opportunities are discovered whilst in education. At Havelock Academy, Sixth Form Co-ordinator Lauren Buston spent three years out of the borough at university, but came back to Grimsby after finishing her degree.

Speaking whilst visiting the fair with students, she said: “I grew up here and my family are here, I had no intention of going anywhere else after university. There is something special about this town and it’s only going to get better.

“It’s a developing place for women and girls and it’s certainly improved as I’ve grown up. There is so much here and it’s just a great place to be.”

This sentiment is something their students also believe. Casey Newman, 17, is a student at Havelock who intends to stay in the area after her education. “There are so many chances here for people like me and I’ll be staying around to make the most of them.

“I may leave to go to university, but I’ll be coming back to the area after as it’s where I feel I belong,” she said.

Fellow student Jessica Howard, 17, believes North East Lincolnshire is a great place for women to work in what are usually male dominated sectors.

“In recent years, we’ve seen the emergence of more young women and girls in areas such as football and this is only going to grow. There is always a good reason to stay in Grimsby and if someone asked me to go, I wouldn’t want to leave,” said Jessica.

Other industries, like the Armed Forces, offer a wealth of opportunities for women across the borough. Libby Reilly works as an Assistant Careers Advisor in the Royal Navy having moved to the area from Scotland.

She said: “Women can work in any role in the Royal Navy and there are so many chances for them to progress however they want. This area offers a breadth of roles for those that want to be part of the Armed Forces and there is really no reason not to take up these opportunities. The future for women and girls in North East Lincolnshire is certainly positive and I’m sure it will only get better.”

Laura Sadler, a Career Development Officer at North East Lincolnshire Council, was a former Learning and Development apprentice and works in a sector where there are endless opportunities for women and young girls. “There are more women than men in the Council which I think speaks for itself. We offer graduate schemes, apprenticeships or even work placements that are available to everyone. Anyone who says there isn’t much in Grimsby for women is wrong.

“I’ve lived here all my life and have no intention of going anywhere. It’s a great place to be and has been great for my career development.”

Arguably, the most poignant stage of education is college and for a group of students at Grimsby Institute they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Lucy Curtis, 18, said: “It’s not just about education or employment. There are lots of community events in North East Lincolnshire, such as Skills Events, that help to build for students’ futures.”

She added: “The area is changing for the better. There is so much coming such as improvements to the town centre and the Community Diagnostic Centre which will benefit everyone.

“Another important aspect of the borough is its heritage. There aren’t many places that have such a rich history and that makes it a really unique place to be.”

For other women, some of the best opportunities they’ve had have been right here in North East Lincolnshire. Whilst at university, Emily Cole, 20, lived at home and had a number of jobs across the borough.

“I think North East Lincolnshire offers everything a young woman could want. I’ve worked in a number of different sectors and each of them offer something different that is desirable in life.”

Currently, she is taking part in the Ridgway Scholarship that is available to young people across Britain, with a preference to those living in Lincolnshire. “This is a great opportunity for me to help develop my skills and involves me travelling to America for the year to study at a university.

“However, I will come back to the area for definite after that. I’m glad I had the chance to broaden my horizons with this, but I want to use it to help me in my life in North East Lincolnshire.”

Speaking about the opportunities across the borough, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy, Regeneration, Devolution and Skills, Councillor Philip Jackson said:

“The opportunities across North East Lincolnshire for women and girls, as well as men of all ages, are many and that is obvious when you look at the variety of careers advertised at this recent skills fair.

“We are fully aware that we do have some challenges, and this is something we are working extremely hard to address, along with our partners in education and business.

“The future of employment, skills and education is bright, and people within our community must be encouraged to learn and develop and know that they will have support to do so.

“Whether a person wants to go into education, the Armed Forces, engineering or any other sector, there is something available for everyone.

“Skills fairs such as this one are perfect for demonstrating what is available on our doorstep and I thank everyone involved in making it a reality.”