A YOUNG Stourbridge engineer has been shortlisted for a prestigious ‘young woman engineer of the year’ award.

Emma Goulding, a technical apprentice at Siemens, will compete for the title at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) awards, which aim to banish outdated engineering stereotypes and help change the perception that engineering is only a career for men.

The 23-year-old will battle it out with four other young engineers to be named as the category winner at a ceremony taking place on December 3 in central London.

Naomi Climer, IET president-elect, said: “These awards recognise and celebrate the women that do work in the industry and I’d like to congratulate Emma for making the final five.

“Engineering is a hugely exciting and diverse career with the opportunity to do something life- or world-changing but the lack of women in the sector is a huge problem.

“The difficulty in attracting women into engineering is down to a combination of many things, including the image of engineers within the UK, careers advice girls are given in schools and the way that companies with engineering roles advertise their opportunities.

“It’s also a result of the lack of inspirational engineering role models for girls, which is why our Young Women Engineer of the Year awards are all about finding role models to get girls – and young people in general – excited and inspired about the possibilities of an engineering career.”

For more information about the awards visit www.theiet.org/ywe