London 17 January 2015 10:10
- Naomi excels in a demanding and varied role in the design of advanced electronic systems
- She has shown a significant commitment to acting as a role model for young women, demonstrating to students and teachers the excitement and potential of a career in engineering
- The company also runs a significant apprenticeship scheme which has been rated as 'outstanding' by UK Government agency Ofsted
Finmeccanica - Selex ES hardware engineer Naomi Mitchison has been awarded Young Woman Engineer of the Year in the UK by the Institution of Engineering and Technology for the duration of 2015. The award recognises Naomi’s professional achievements and commitment to encouraging other young women to aim for a career in engineering and follows another Finmeccanica - Selex ES engineer, Arlene McConnell, being awarded the same title in 2010. As part of this appointment, Naomi, 28 years old, will play an ambassadorial role for the profession through a number of initiatives and attract a wider talent pool into the career.
Finmeccanica - Selex ES is a sensors, information management and systems integration business which relies on a talented pool of engineers to address the world’s rapidly changing high-technology needs. The company has an international workforce of 17,000 people including around 4,700 in the UK, around half of whom are skilled engineers. Its parent company Finmeccanica has made considerable investment in engineering in the UK, boasts some world-beating defence technologies and is the second largest equipment supplier to the UK Ministry of Defence.
Naomi, who has worked at Finmeccanica - Selex ES in Edinburgh since 2012, will be involved in several high profile activities during her year of appointment. Recently she addressed an influential audience in Edinburgh including representatives from across UK industry, the universities, engineering institutions and government. Naomi spoke about the need to change perceptions of careers in engineering, particularly for females at companies like Finmeccanica - Selex ES which offer satisfying jobs to graduates and apprentices who have studied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.
Attracting a greater talent pool into engineering is critical to the long term survival of advanced technology providers like Finmeccanica - Selex ES as they depend on the talents of fresh new generations to innovate. The company is a major recruiter of graduate engineers and also runs a significant apprenticeship scheme which has been rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted, the UK Government’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.