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In light of International Women’s Day 2020, we thought we would take some time out to catch up with some young women within the Cluster and chat to them about their jobs and the importance of having women in STEM jobs. 

New government data shows that for the first time ever, there are over one million women working in core-STEM roles in the UK.

We spoke to Microbiologist Technician & 2020 NEPIC Award Winner, Laura Lee, from GSK. 

Read on to find out what Laura had to say… 

Why did you choose a career path in STEM?

I first chose my career path in STEM due to an interest in Biology and Maths through school.

The teachers made both lessons very engaging and interesting and therefore my focus from then was to pursue these interests and try and find a role which encompassed either one of them.

What’s been the most challenging part of your job?

My most challenging time was my A Levels, I struggled throughout the first year to adapt to much harder topics and that reflected in my first year grades.

My second year was spent trying to correct what went wrong in my first year however when I was offered a place on a GSK apprentice scheme it really pushed me to put that little bit extra effort in and I made the required grades for the role pretty easily in the end!

What piece of advice would you give to young women who are thinking of going into a career like yours?

I’d tell them to always think outside of the box and try to make yourself stand out when applying for courses/roles.

It’s a very competitive area in some regions as there aren’t many jobs in roles such as mine.

A part time job when you are at school/sixth form is always good to show the employer/university the skills you have gone out and gotten yourself.

If you are passionate about anything get it in there, you want to interest the reader and keep them engaged.

What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?

I love being a woman in STEM.

I feel like we are a close-knit community at many levels, on site for example we are all very close in Microbiology but as you venture across site there seems to be a pretty special bond between us all.

No one ever hesitates to spare some time to help people with issues both inside and outside of work.

There are also regular updates across the GSK network and also through the apprenticeship network via internal communications and also regional via organisations such as Nextgen.

It’s fantastic to see women in STEM sticking together and having real community spirit, lets hope this can continue and spread into other sectors and industries! 

Read more about Laura’s Apprenticeship Journey and her win at NEPIC’s Annual Industry Awards 2020, here. 

WISE.

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