International Women’s Day (IWD) is dedicated to the advancement of women worldwide.
Marked by millions of people on 8th March, IWD celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
At Freedom Fibre, women are well represented across the business in a variety of roles; from HR and marketing, project management and build to engineering.
However, according to techUK, Women make up less than one in five of the UK's telecoms workforce. This is well below the global average of 37%.
We spoke to Beth Parker, Build Engineer, and Nikki Jones, Junior FTTP Installation Engineer, to learn more about their roles out in the field and what they think women should know about working in telecoms.
Beth, your role as a build engineer involves the building and maintenance of Freedom Fibre’s network infrastructure, could you explain briefly what this entails?
Beth: Since the build in Stoke has stopped, my day’s can be very varied! I have had to become very versatile in the work I do. Some days I am supporting civil engineering, supervising civil engineering, other days I am surveying, clearing blockages, or even pushing sub duct through road crossings! I have also been involved in cabling, splicing and other project work. As a build engineer my ‘business as usual’ involves all things build related! From supervising the build to problem solving, quantifying work completed and invoicing.
How long have you both been in the industry?
Beth: 4 years
Nikki: 4 years
What made you choose to take a career in engineering?
Beth: I worked in a bank for over 9 years prior to coming here, I felt like I needed a career change and hoped to find something where I am more active. I’ve certainly found that here!
Nikki: I worked in retail for over 15 years, and having a child a little later in life, I wanted to pursue a career with skills. Over the years I now have a few feathers to my bow!
What qualifications and experience did you gain prior to securing your roles?
Nikki: I have a Mewp licence and several Openreach accreditations needed for my engineer role, including SA001, SA002, SA007, SA020.
Nikki, what does an average day look like for you as an installation engineer?
Nikki: An average day for me is checking our route for the day, checking on the shelters/active cabinets and surveying customers gardens beforehand. When I arrive at a property I’ll introduce myself to the customer and start prepping them on how we plan to install their internet. When It’s time to move onto the install itself, I’ll start blowing the fibre and making the connections; Getting customer up and running, connecting devices if asked, speed testing, and of course drinking brews!
What do you both think would support an increase in young women embarking on a career in engineering?
Beth: I think more awareness at high school age of the varying sectors would be a good education project. Showing women that there’s fields they can enter that they maybe didn’t realise existed.
Nikki: I think I agree with Beth that educating young girls at high school level that they can pursue a career in a male led environment. Some people still (wrongly) believe that some jobs are only for men, if a man can do it why can’t a woman!
What do you learn out in the field that you can’t from training alone?
Beth: Where to start! Anyone can complete a course, but “on the job training” is what really makes the difference from doing something, to doing something well in my opinion. Practice and patience also help!
Nikki: Again, as Beth has pointed out, hands on is better than sitting in a classroom and doing exams, and being droned at by power points. Many people learn more by the hands-on approach, as the sayings go “practice makes perfect” and “every day’s a school day”
What are the biggest misconceptions people have about working in engineering?
Nikki: “You’re an engineer? sounds like a man's job. Are you sure you know how to use a drill? Would you like me to carry your ladders?” They forget that us women can do anything!
What kinds of experiences have been most surprising to you?
Beth: I started with Lila Connect as a community engagement coordinator, what surprised me the most is how much more understanding people were when they knew the reasons for our build project. Being willing to get out there and help educate people really makes a difference.
Nikki: The communities I work in every day are lovely. If I am out and about digging a garden or working at an active cab they want to know what I am doing, and I am happy to discuss the benefits of full fibre to anyone who asks ( even down to looking at their gardens to discuss routes with them on how we would get the fibre to their properties.)
Would you recommend Freedom Fibre as a good place to work in engineering and why?
Nikki: I do generally feel that freedom fibre is a good place to work in engineering, the people are lovely, the company supportive and the Stoke-based team are an awesome bunch to work with.
Freedom Fibre is committed to being an inclusive, caring and welcoming workplace for all employees. We operate in a relaxed and industrious atmosphere where everyone is encouraged to contribute, feel comfortable to speak out, work cross-functionally and support each other.
Check out our careers site for information and opportunities to join the team! https://careers.freedomfibre.com/
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