Only woman on 700-person engineering course builds 17-year career in powered access

Now, after 17 years in powered access, the Scunthorpe engineer is using International Women in Engineering Day to encourage more females into hands-on technical careers.

International Women in Engineering Day, held annually on 23rd June, raises the profile of women engineers and encourages more young women and girls to consider careers in the industry. 

For April Ludkins, who works for Nationwide Platforms in Scunthorpe, that message remains important after entering the sector at a time when women in hands-on technical roles were still rare.

Before joining Nationwide Platforms, April studied Manufacturing and Engineering at the National Construction College, where she found herself as the only woman on a course of around 700 people. The experience shaped her view that women considering hands-on careers need to see clear examples of others who have entered the industry and built lasting careers.

“College was a very different environment back then,” she said. “As the only woman, I had to be thick-skinned and I had to work hard. 

“There were times when I had to figure things out for myself, especially when some of the mentors disengaged, but I was there to learn and I was there to do a job. I persisted with the course, I proved I could do it, and I’ve been proving it ever since.

“If someone had looked at that course and thought engineering wasn’t for them because they couldn’t see anyone like them there, I would understand that. A key motivator for me was that I knew this was my passion; this was what I wanted to do. No prejudice was going to change that.

“But ultimately we want to recruit passionate people whoever they are and wherever they may be, and having visible examples of people like them working in this industry is one of the best ways to do that.”

For April, the confidence to keep going came from an early understanding of what hands-on engineering actually involved, something she believes more young women need the chance to see. By the age of 12 or 13, she was already building parts for classic cars and fixing them up. A few years after that she was spending Saturdays working with her father repairing and servicing truck-mounted platforms.

“I’d been interested in fixing things and figuring out how they worked from a very young age,” said April. “My dad had worked for Nationwide Platforms back when it was SkyLift, and both he and my uncle have been IPAF trainers for more than 30 years, so I grew up around the industry."

After college, April joined Nationwide Platforms as an apprentice and began building the practical experience that would take her into her current role as a Mobile Service Engineer. Today, her role combines mechanical knowledge, practical judgement and safety awareness, with each day shaped by the needs of customers and the condition of the machines she is called out to inspect or repair.

“We’ve come such a long way since my college days, and things have really transformed quite significantly when it comes to representation, especially in the last ten years. 

“At the same time, we still want to open up the industry to as many people as possible, so we can call on as wide a talent pool as possible.  

“Awareness days like this are brilliant because they showcase the great work women in the industry are doing. I’d love to see more representation online, so that people with the passion I had are motivated to get stuck in, regardless of their identity. We want to create an environment where the only thing that matters is what you can do, not who you are.”

Karen Maguire, HR Director at Nationwide Platforms, said, “April’s career is a fantastic example of the skill, resilience and technical knowledge women bring to engineering roles across our business.

“Mobile Service Engineers play a vital role in keeping our customers, operators and fleet safe, and April’s story shows why it is so important that young women can see clear examples of female engineers succeeding in hands-on roles.

“We are proud to have colleagues like April across Nationwide Platforms, and we hope her story encourages more girls and young women to see engineering as a career where they can build confidence, develop valuable skills and make a real impact.”

For more information about International Women in Engineering Day, visit:
https://www.inwed.org.uk/