GRAHAM has announced its support for an initiative to encourage young female students in South Ayrshire to consider a career in construction or civil engineering.

Approximately 150 S1 and S2 students from nine schools across East, North and South Ayrshire attended Girls into Construction and Civil Engineering at Ayrshire College, as part of the #ThisAyrshireGirlCan campaign.

The campaign, run by Ayrshire College and publicly endorsed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, aims to inspire young women to think about futures in traditionally male-dominated industries such as STEM.

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GRAHAM's Hannah Simpson, graduate engineer, (pictured below) gave a presentation to the audience on her route into the industry as part of a packed schedule of presentations and workshops.

Beth Paterson and Karen Jeffery, both student engineers at GRAHAM, also attended the event to work with the pupils in smaller groups.

Dedicated STEM Ambassadors from the company spent time talking to pupils one-on-one about their experiences in the industry.

Debbie Rutherford, regional community benefit advisor at GRAHAM, said: "As a company, we believe it is vital that all young people, no matter their gender, are educated on the various routes of employment available to them, and receive encouragement and support along the way.

"Our female STEM Ambassadors are all fantastic examples of women who are succeeding in their careers in construction, and dispel any false perceptions of construction as a male-only sector.

"We hope to see some of the young students who attended Ayrshire College's event pursuing careers in construction in the future."