Fylde engineer helps promote UAE careers

Helena Chantry, 26, a systems engineer at BAE Systems base in Warton, has been at the Emirates Skills show in the United Arab Emirates to promote careers in skilled trades and technologies in support of its burgeoning aerospace industry.

The show’s activities focus on raising awareness of vocational and career-based technical education through competitions, events, training programs and technical career activities.

Helena, a product of the company’s graduate training programme, spent five days with youngsters visiting the BAE Systems stand at the show and letting them have a go at flying the Eurofighter 
Typhoon jet.

She said: “We had six logic-based games which are designed to test mental agility of the young people visiting the stand. The students, which were mainly 11-18 year olds, also had the chance to sit in the Typhoon cockpit and it was my job to explain to them how to get the aircraft off the ground, fly a mission and land the aircraft safely.

“I was particularly delighted when a group of female students from one school came along and were genuinely interested in engineering as a career. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat, it was great fun and very rewarding.”