Aerospace outreach and IT
When I was at school I loved the sciences and was good at maths, but I didn’t pursue it as a career. I started a law degree, but didn’t finish it as I was more interested in politics and justice.
It was only years later, as computer use grew, that I became involved in technology on a professional level. I worked as a desktop publisher, then as a database administrator for a pharmaceutical software company. I completed my degree with the Open University (OU) in 2006 by studying databases, web development and systems thinking. I was then able to combine my political interests with technology when I worked for Rolls-Royce, lobbying government for more funding for research and technology and for skills training.
That job then led to my current role as the Project Manger – Skills for A|D|S, the trade organisation advancing UK AeroSpace, Defence and Security Industries. I am responsible for the UK Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC) , and I support A|D|S’s subsidiary, Farnborough International Ltd, in the co-ordination of Futures Day at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The UK Rocketry Challenge is the largest model rocket showcase in the UK. Young people aged 11-18 take part in teams. The challenge for 2010 is to design, construct and launch a rocket carrying a raw egg to an altitude of 825 feet, then return the egg safely to earth. Up to 100 teams participate every year. I’m always delighted to see girls getting involved and in 2009 an all-girl team came third. They’ve promised to win the competition this year!
Futures Day at the Airshow is aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 17. It has lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities, and a careers fair with opportunities to meet key people from aerospace and defence and young people starting out.
Only 6% of the aerospace engineering workforce is female, and about 4% of pilots are women. The numbers have gone down in recent years. Last year the Royal Aeronautical Society established a Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee, which I sit on, and we have just published a report on how poorly women are represented in the industry and what needs to be done.
We do need more women engineers: it’s not an “oily rag” industry, which is evidenced when you walk around aerospace factory floors and see light, bright, clean environments to build and make aeroplanes.
I’ve just completed a Diploma in Economics with the OU. I don’t have much spare time. I relax by playing computer games or surfing the internet. I remain fascinated by new media: the internet has turned out to be a life-changing revolution. It is comparable to the Industrial Revolution in how it is changing how we work and how we interact with each other.
Elizabeth Donnelly is Project Manger – Skills for A|D|S. She is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee.
Comments
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Elizabeth, Welcome to the UKRC blog. I am very impressed that you have found time to do a diploma in economics. At UKRC we are very interested in the ways the recession is impacting on women in science, engineering and technology. Is there a significant impact on aerospace, and can you see that affecting men and women differently. I know some places are introducing more part-time and flexible working - is there any evidence of that? The rocket challenge sounds brilliant! Last year we ran a blog to mark the international year of astronomy, and the all-girl rocket team from Northern Ireland took part. You can read their entry here: http://www.ukrc4setwomen.org/html/projects-and-campaigns/astronomy-blog/html/projects-and-campaigns/astronomy-blog/?id=5
Elizabeth Donnelly:
Thank you for the opportunity to blog. I\'m delighted to be here. It was fascinating to study Economics during the banking crisis as I was able to see how a lot of theories didn\'t work in practice. There were assignments that had to be completed every month, so it was a good way of making sure I did the reading. I read the text books on the train and I remember writing assignments on every bank holiday weekend between February and September for two years. The recession has seen a number of jobs go in the industry but we\'re a long-term business, so the effects haven\'t yet been seen. We expect to feel the squeeze in the next two or three years, particularly in Defence as public spending will be significantly reduced. At A|D|S we are encouraging our member companies to maintain their graduate and apprentice programmes. In previous recessions these schemes were cut and it is now noticeable that there are missing generations in the aerospace workforce. This is having a serious impact on companies, so we point out the future repurcussions of cutting investment for the future. There are fewer placements, and although more young women are entering the industry, the competition will be harder. I would still encourage women to study engineering. I have been working with industry to identify what their skills needs will be in the future and we have created a Skills Roadmap for Aerospace and Defence. Tthe industry is expected to expand over the next decade. There will be a demand for higher level skills in new areas such as composites. Leadership skills such as project and programme management will also be in demand. Aerospace is a great field to work in as we are already addressing environmental concerns about emissions and we need talented people to devise new ways of meeting our responsibilities. We run the Rocketry Challenge under the heading \"This IS Rocket Science\""
Ayo (UKRC):
Hi Elizabeth, Its great to see you again (virtually! through our blog! It was a pleasure to meet you back in October at the Women in Aviation and Aerospace event. It was great to see a critical mass of women from a diverse range of aviation careers. I remember from your presentation, that an integral part of your own career development has been due to your networking skills. It was facinating to hear your tips on how to network effectively. I wonder if you could share with us which networks have been most useful to you in your career? Have you had any \'breakthrough\' moments by people in your network sharing information or advice? Sometimes thinking \'outside the box\' in terms of networks we join can really open up alot of new opportunities!
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Elizabeth, Its very interesting to hear you say the economic theories often don\'t work in practice. Last year UKRC held a recession event to look at impacts on women in SET, and one of our speakers was Ann Pettifor. By co-incidence, she has just posted an entry on her blog titled \'Women talking macroeconomics\': http://debtonation.org/2010/02/women-talking-macro-economics/ She explains that though we think that money arrives as a result of our hard work (ie economic activity) in fact its the other way round. Money stimulates economic activity. At UKRC we hope that the government and markets will continue to invest in SET and at the same time in gender equality - in that way employers have access to the widest talent pool and women have an opportunity to progress. Ayo - tell us a bit about Connect!
Gill Kirkup:
Hi Elizabeth, I wonder what your member companies can do to recuit more young women onto apprenticeships and vocational training. The figures we see for young women competing apprenticeships remains tiny. For example in 2007 only 388 women completed a level 2 apprenticeship in an engineering and manufacturing technology area compared with 9,682 men. At level three is was worse : 123 women compared with 10,020 men.
Elizabeth Donnelly:
Ayo - A pleasure to be in contact with you again. Breakthrough networks: Yes, I am a member of the Unite trade union and my connections there helped me to get the job at Rolls-Royce in 2005. They wanted someone in aerosapce with political connections but couldn\'t find anyone. So, they asked me with my political connections if I would work with them and they would teach me about aerospace. It was a steep learning curve, but I found out a lot in a few months and was able to lobby effectively. The Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee is another good network. We are trying to find more women in the sector who would be prepared to join us and help encourage more womein into our industries. Networking is often about remembering what the people you meet are interested in or are working on. I met someone recently who wanted to work in fuel cells. During the conversation he mentioned that he had also worked with microbes and biofuels, so I was able to connect him to someone I know who works with biofuels. I only make the connections, it\'s up to those I connect whether they take it further. Ruth - That link is one of the most interesting and straightforward desccriptions of how money works that I have ever read. Elena is absolutely right - it is money that makes the world go round, not our activity. Which is why the Bank of England was right to use quantative easing to get the economy going again - effectively it \"printed money\"" to stimulate economic activity. There are those who try to compare our economy to a household\'s income and outgoings
Rachel:
Hi Elizabeth, I was interested to see that you are a member of a Union (Unite). I wondered why you decided to become a union member and what kind of services or support Unite can offer that might be of benefit to women?
Malcolm Davies:
Hi Elizabeth - great blog. 3 questions from me 1. Is it true that Rocket Science is easy? 2. If money makes the world go round can someone explain the success of Timebanking - both here and in the USA? 3. Do you have a view on the BAE arms trade scandal? Take care Malc
Elizabeth Donnelly:
Rachel I joined MSF in 1994 when I was working at Oxford University Press. MSF merged with the AEEU to form Amicus and then Amicus mergerd with the Transport & General Workers Union to form Unite. My dad told me to do two things when I first went to work: pay into a pension as much as I can as soon as I can and for as long as I can, and join a union - it\'s job insurance. He was right on both counts. Companies pay lawyers, accountants and human resources professionals a lot of money to manage their staff. An individual doesn\'t have that resource, but if you join a union, they also have lawyers, accountants and employment law specialists who will act for you. What\'s more, a union representative will probably be someone who works with you so you know they\'re on your side. In many cases where the union is recognised by the company, health and safety standards, pay levels and job satisfaction are higher than in non-unionised companies. Unite offers its women members a lot of support. They will support women who are dismissed or made redundant while pregnant; they offer representation in disciplinary and grievance matters, so a woman doesn\'t have to face a bully or a harasser alone, and they offer support in employment law, so you know what your rights are. There is also free legal advice (so you don\'t have to pay for it on your car insurance) and legal support for personal injury cases. On top of this the political side of the union lobbies government for equal pay for women, and to support women\'s rights in other countries. I\'ve been made redundant about four times in my life, and on two occasions the union was involved so I received a much larger pay out than if I had been on my own. The union has also helped members who might have been sacked to keep their jobs. I sit on the Executive Committee for Unite, in one of the seats reserved for women, so I help to ensure that women\'s voices are heard at the highest level of the union. You can find out more about Unite here: www.unitetheunion.com. Malcolm - thanks for the comments. In answer to your questions: 1. The youngest member of the 2009 winning Rocketry Challenge team was 12, and our competition is open to 11-18 year olds. \"Rocket science is easy
Elizabeth Donnelly:
Malc, I\\\'ve been thinking about why timebanking doesn\\\'t contribute to economic growth and it\\\'s a lot to do with money. If I get a job, I am paid in money. I use that money to buy things, whether in shops, or online or services like insurance. I also may save some of that money. What then happens to the money that I\\\'ve spent? Well, if I own a company that sells things in shops or online or services, then I use that money to pay my staff and to buy other raw materials like my stock or to pay for hire of a film from a distributor if I\\\'m a cinema. I may use the money to pay out insurance claims or to invest in other companies so that I can increase my money. If I\\\'m a bank that collects people\\\'s savings then I may also invest in other companies by lending them money to expand or the stock market or in complicated financial instruments that will increase my money. If I\\\'m a member of staff at any of these organisations, then I get paid in money and start the cycle again. If I\\\'m a supplier of raw materials or services then I also use the money paid by companies to pay my staff, buy my own raw materials and invest etc, and start the business investment cycle again. If I\\\'m a bank then my money increases and I can lend money to others, invest in the stock market and financial instruments. And as you know, the financial instruments were so complicated than when they collapsed the whole system collapsed. With relation to timebanking, because no-one gets paid in money, they can\\\'t use that money to increase investment in other things. If I offer my time to do something for you, then you might also do the same by offering your time to someone else or to me but there is no strict obligation on you to do that. But this doesn\\\'t spread in the same way that money does, and as I said previously, it can\\\'t be measured. I hope that sheds a bit more light on how money makes the world go round, even if it can\\\'t buy you happiness.
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Elizabeth - that\'s a very helpful insight. Money is a magical thing. I am very interested in volunteering, and hadn\'t seen it from quite this angle before. Shouldn\'t money somehow set us free from being dependent on our labour? Yet most of us are, indeed it seems we work harder and harder.
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