On 20 November 2019, seven engineering students from the University of Birmingham attended the Women in Engineering Insight to Industry Day hosted by Caterpillar at their Peterlee site. This was an event for students to learn more about the industry and widen their network, empower female students into growing in confidence and offer an insight into Caterpillar’s operations and opportunities. Here’s what a few of our attendees had to say:
“It was a great experience to see how the vehicles are tested at the quarry, visiting the manufacturing facilities and being able to experience a virtual reality tour of the factory at the Peterlee facility. I’ve learnt so much more about the industry and it has opened my eyes to the diverse career paths an engineering degree can offer! A big thank you to Caterpillar for organising this event. If the event is organised again next year, I would definitely recommend going!”
Kelly Lo, 4th Year Mechanical Engineering student and member of UBeRacing
“I really enjoyed the whole day - especially networking with members of Caterpillar's design and testing teams over lunch. The beginning presentation was very informative about the company and I learned a lot about the company and learn more about potential opportunities going forward. It was really useful to get advice from senior female engineers and also become friends with other like-minded students from a range of backgrounds at the event. My favourite part of the day was riding in the articulated trucks to learn about the testing procedures, after having seen the step by step assembly of the immense trucks in the factory tour earlier on in the day.”
Zara Hawezy, 2nd year Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering student and UBeRacing member
“It was my first time going to a factory enabling a further understanding of engineering in a more practical sense. I was able to see how engineers work alongside robotics to enable an efficient production process to ensure the production lines are running smoothly. As well as this I got the opportunity to ride one of the trucks that are manufactured by Caterpillar! Thank you Caterpillar for such an insightful day. It made me more open-minded in regards to the different streams of engineering out there.”
Mariatu Davies, 1st Year Mechanical Engineering Student
Everyone who attended the event had an amazing time and thank you to Caterpillar for inviting engineering students from the University of Birmingham!
