AN award-winning engineer is urging fellow females in her industry to follow in her footsteps and put themselves forward for a prestigious award.

Hannah Pearlman, 27, a systems engineer at Ford Dunton, was highly commended in last year’s Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

She is now calling on her fellow young female engineers across Essex to enter this year’s awards, which aim to highlight to young girls that engineering is an exciting industry, offering creative and challenging careers.

Hannah, whose work specialises around the latest model of Ford Fiesta, said: “These awards are great at highlighting the young female engineering talent out there.

“To be recognised myself last year was fantastic and I would encourage anyone to apply.”

Britain currently has the lowest proportion of female engineers in Europe, at just 6 per cent. This is compared to 30 per cent in Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

A recent survey also found only 7 per cent of parents would encourage their daughters to become engineers. Research carried out by Engineering UK shows if the lack of women in engineering continues, the UK will struggle to find the 1.82 million skilled workers the industry is predicted to need up to 2022.

Naomi Climer, Institution of Engineering and Technology president, said: “Engineering is a hugely exciting and diverse career, with the opportunity to do something life or world-changing.

“The Young Women Engineer of the Year awards, which have been running for 39 years, are all about finding role models to get girls, and young people in general, excited about the possibilities of an engineering career.”

The deadline for entries is Friday, June 26.

For more information, visit www.theiet.org/ywe