It’s International Women’s Day 🎉  Today is all about celebrating women’s achievement and raising awareness about discrimination. It’s our chance to take action so that every woman can have equal opportunity.
International Women’s Day is a global campaign that takes place annually on March 8th. It is a day when people come together to advocate for gender parity, challenge stereotypes, raise the profile of and empower women and girls.
We’re supporting the campaign by raising the profile of women working within our industry. We interviewed Level 3 Radiography student, Claire Hodson, a Level 3 RT / DRT and Level 2 radiographer at IRISNDT Aerospace & Defense who recently attended our training school in Sheffield.
What does your job involve?
“Radiography of Aerospace casting & welds by film or non-film (CR), scrutineer sentencing of parts via film or CR images and carrying out Level 3 responsibilities such as procedure writing and technique approval.”
Why did you choose Radiography?
“It chose me, I applied for the job almost 24 years ago with no prior knowledge of NDT as a career path, and I’m still here enjoying every minute.”
Why do you enjoy working in NDT?
“Every day is different. I enjoy the job role as a Level 2 as it is so varied. I am looking forward to enhancing my career within the NDT business as a Level 3.”
Do you have any advice for women considering a career in NDT?
“Research the different methods within NDT as a career, as there is a lot of different options to choose before deciding which path would be most suitable to you as a person. I personally enjoy in house radiography.
Some aspects of NDT require you to work on site/offshore or scale tall buildings. I would say that this is a long-term career path, as you do start at entry level and work your way up to different levels within the industry.
All the personnel within the IRISNDT Aerospace and Defense department are women (a total of 8) and collectively we have worked together for over 15 years, with over 200 years’ worth of combined experience. I thoroughly enjoy being part of our great team.”
#EmbracingEquity
This year’s campaign theme for International Woman’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, which aims to get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.
We are proud to be a part of the Institution of Mechanical Engineer’s recently launched 3-Year Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, alongside their Diversity and Inclusion strategy, which aligns with the Institution’s longer-term goal of setting us on course to embed inclusion at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that the Institution is visibly more inclusive to all and helping us to embrace equity. Find out more here.
Our team actively supports women within the NDT and coatings corrosion industry with the development of their career through our inclusive learning environment, training and consultancy support. We are actively involved in the British Institute of NDT (BINDT) Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group, which looks at ways in which we can be a more inclusive industry and how we can better support women entering the NDT industry. Find out more here.
