Carys helps engineer a boost to Narbeth women’s careers

A young female engineer has become the new face of Chwarae Teg’s Agile Nation2 Career Development Programme for women, having recently benefited from the course.

Carys Godding, an engineer with Welsh Water, will front a campaign to encourage other women – particularly in the Narbeth area – to make time for themselves and their careers by signing up to the free initiative.

Having begun her career in engineering at 16, with a four-year technical apprenticeship, Carys joined the engineering team at Aberthaw Power station, before moving to Welsh Water as an Automation, Telemetry and Control Engineer.

It is there, with a desire to develop her supervisory skills and with the encouragement of her manager, Carys decided to take a look at the programme, which aims to improve the position of women in the workforce. Impressed by its content and the feedback from previous participants, she signed up and has never looked back.

Carys said: “It’s fantastic to be given the opportunity to highlight the benefits of the programme, which has made such a difference to my life. It gave me the chance to take time out for myself, evaluate my skills and understand my strengths – which in turn has improved my communication and leadership abilities. I am now a lot more confident in my role and have valuable skills to take me through to the next level of management.

“I would highly recommend the programme to other women, whether they are looking to develop in their careers or to simply build confidence and expertise within their current roles. My group was so inspiring, and we have all remained good friends following the programme.”

Beth Baldwin, Learning Development Partner, Chwarae Teg, said: “Carys was an asset to the group, her contributions were refreshing, valid and she openly shared her journey with us all.

At Chwarae Teg we are always working hard to show that careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are ‘not just for boys’, so Carys is a real role model for women wanting to take on technical roles as well as manage a team.”

Delivered by Chwarae Teg – Wales’ leading gender equality charity the programme is fully funded by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government. It consists of coaching, mentoring and the completion of an Institute of Leadership and Management qualification, designed to help women employed within the private or third sector to develop team leadership and management skills so that they can reach their true potential.