I'm greeted at the door by Trinity House Mechanical Support Engineer Kirsty, who ushers me out of the cold and into her warm hotel room. Returning to her nailcare routine, she sits herself down on her queen bed, a luxury after a week in a bunk.
Kirsty has just returned from installation works at Round Island Lighthouse. With her beaming smile, you wouldn’t know she’s been working in a lantern room for 6 days straight on a small, uninhabited island.
Sarah: Tell me a bit about your team!
Kirsty: So I'm part of the Engineering Support team. We sit alongside the Projects and the Engineering Project Delivery teams and do some of the smaller projects when needed.
We work directly with the Technical team and provide them with designs. We look after the communications system between our buoys and all offshore stations, making sure that all the alerts coming in are correct and tell us what they need to tell us.
So we kind of get involved with everything. We have various people in the team so who are multiskilled, so we are able to understand and support any of the engineering functions.
Sarah: A very multidisciplined team! Tell me about your role. What does a typical day look like for you?
Kirsty: I look after the mechanical needs of the buoys out at sea, making sure they are doing what they're supposed to. I'm involved in a new buoy design project, looking at how it works at sea, motion analysis, how it rides the waves or sits in the water and all that kind of stuff.
I also get involved in rollouts of new kit at lighthouses. I’ve just come back from Round Island and that was installing a new lantern in the optic. I get involved where we have to mount equipment. We make sure it fits right and works properly and is exactly where it needs to be. It can be a bit challenging when you're looking at old buildings because you never really know what you're going to find when you get there.
Sarah: And they're uniquely shaped buildings as well!
Kirsty: Completely! And some of them we don't have modern drawings for, you know, especially for the actual physical building itself. It can be quite challenging. We like to do surveys and get out there and have a look, which helps because you can actually see what you're sort of letting yourself in for.
Sarah: What first drew you to the field of engineering?
Kirsty: I spoke to a careers advisor at school when I was in my final year. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I enjoyed woodwork, metal work, drawing, physics, maths, that kind of thing, and she said,
"Oh, it sounds like you want to be an engineer!"
I applied for some engineering apprenticeships. It is my field. It is what I love doing and I always come back to it. We had some really big engineering companies in the area, all of which had some really good apprenticeship schemes. I got in on one of those. It was tough. I was the only girl and so everyone was under the impression that I was the token female to fulfil the quota. It's hard going into that environment because you're constantly battling and you’re constantly having to prove yourself. The fact that I came out of it with higher qualifications than all the other guys kind of just makes me smile because I’ve proved myself.
Sarah: Tell me a bit about your career path leading up to joining Trinity House.
Kirsty: I did the four-year apprenticeship scheme doing everything from very basic engineering all the way through to design and development. I stuck around an extra two years after that in their area handling equipment division.
But the manager I had at that point didn't believe in females in engineering. He used me as his personal secretary, which I didn't really like.
I moved to an insurance firm in London and went into their IT support team. I came back to Colchester and worked for a law firm. I hadn't really seen much of the world, so I went to Africa for ten weeks. Got home and fell into an admin role at an engineering company in Colchester.
Alan, my husband, had worked at Trinity House for all his career. He had always said it was a good place to work. They had a position open for six-month maternity cover in the Procurement Team. I got the job and absolutely loved it. The Procurement Team are just the most amazing set of people. They work their butts off for us and I don't think many people realize how hard that job is. It was a quick way to learn how Trinity House do what they do, what they buy, how they use it.
And then this part-time engineering role came up, which doesn't happen. You don't get part-time engineering roles because of the type of work it is. I just thought I'd be stupid not to try. So I applied, and I just thought, be yourself. Be honest. You haven't done engineering for an awfully long time, but you're passionate about it. And they chose me which was amazing.
Sarah: You've enjoyed returning to engineering?
Kirsty: It's in my blood. And I think it's when you find that role, it doesn't feel like work. It feels like fun!
Sarah: I saw that on Round Island! You were just having so much fun.
Kirsty: I was! It just works in my mind. I can't explain it, it just clicks! And I get to go on helicopters and boats and stuff like that!
Sarah: What's most rewarding for you in this role?
Kirsty: You know what, it's working with the team I work with. Just being part of that group and being me, not holding back and feeling comfortable to be able to sit in a meeting and go, “Guys, I don't understand what you're talking about.”. And they stop and go, “Let me explain it to you.”. Oh, it's amazing. It's lovely to be with a group of people who don't judge you. And over and above everything else, knowing I'm part of that team makes anything possible.
Sarah: What would you say to people, especially young women, who might be interested in a career in engineering, what would you say to them?
Kirsty: Just do it. There's going to be times when you come across somebody who doesn't think you should be there, who doesn't believe that you're good enough.
You have to have faith in yourself and believe the people who tell you are good enough because there are people out there that do that.
I'm lucky enough that my manager makes me feel that I can do what I do and do it well. So have faith in yourself and just go for it and enjoy it. I've worked for a number of different companies, and I have to say Trinity House is one of the best. The people make it.
Sarah: Thank you, Kirsty, it’s been a joy!