Get to know our new NDT Technician, Taylor
Our Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) business was delighted to recently welcome a new recruit into the fold as Taylor Gibbons joined our Egremont-based team. Taylor’s appointment is an important one for our business – not only does she represent a fresh new generation of talent entering the nuclear sector, she is also the first female Technician in our 42-year history. Her arrival also marks a milestone in Taylor’s own career. Following three years of experience in a Welding Apprentice role, Taylor is currently in the process of completing her PCN Level 2 in Radiography within her position at NRL.
We’re excited and proud to see Taylor challenging gender norms in the industry, and with such a bright future ahead of her we were all too keen to sit down and chat about what led her to the point she’s at today and how she sees her career progressing onward.
Taylor, can you share more about your background and what initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in NDT?
After finishing high school and getting a GCSE in engineering I decided that it is something that I wanted to pursue further, which is what led me to a welding apprenticeship. After that I thought that there was more that I could accomplish within this trade so decided that weld inspection/NDT would be better suited to me.
You spent three years in your previous role as a Welding Apprentice, where you also completed a PCN Level 2 in Dye Penetrant Inspection. How did these prepare you for your current role?
These prepared me for this role in many ways, being a welder beforehand allowed me to understand the science behind heat treatments and different defects that can be found in a weld, which is what radiography graphs look at. The dye penetrant testing gave me a further understanding of defects and how you can look for them with different methods of NDT, all while linking into my current job role.
In your time spent so far with NRL, what aspects of your role have you found to be the most fascinating or rewarding?
It has all been very fascinating as I have previously been the person that used to weld the steel and am now be able to see a completely different side of things and actually look into the weld itself without damaging it.
The nuclear industry has traditionally been highly male-dominated, especially so in NDT. How do you think the sector can be more inclusive and supportive of women pursuing careers in this field?
I think all women should pursue a career in a male dominated field as it is highly rewarding and not as scary as some women may find it. But I think a way to make it more inclusive and supportive would be things like mentoring and putting women with other women to learn the trade, also diversity training so everybody is knowledgeable and aware of gender biases.
Is there any advice you would give to young women considering a role in NDT, who may be hesitant due to the gender imbalance?
A piece of advice I would give to a young woman who is hesitant to enter a job role in a male dominated field would be that it is not as scary as you think, it can be challenging but it’s also very important to stay resilient. And if more women enter the field then it won’t be as scary for other young women who want to pursue a career in NDT or nuclear also.
Looking ahead to the future, your new role will give you the opportunity to play an important part in major projects within the region’s nuclear sector – are there any particular goals you’re hoping to achieve as part of that?
Goals in my future would be to have as many qualifications in NDT as I can, like magnetic particle testing and ultrasonic testing. Also to be qualified to the highest level in radiography. This means I would be competent to do any job in the NDT sector if anything arises in the future.
Lastly, how do you see your role evolving in the future? Given your existing experience and qualifications, are there any other areas of speciality or niches you’re interested in exploring further?
I would like to explore other NDT methods and be qualified in even more of them. At this moment in time, I don’t think there is any specialities and niches that I want to explore further I would just like to be the best I can be at my job and become competent with as many processes as I can!
We’d like to thank Taylor for sharing her unique perspective with us. We’re excited to see her continue to grow her nuclear career – one that shows the progress being made in turning gender stereotypes into a thing of the past, and which hopefully will inspire other young women to forge their own successful careers in the sector or other STEM-related roles.
If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to work in our NDT business, or want to see the opportunities that are currently available, please visit our website to find out.