Emily Williams' journey in Air & Emissions

Typically, as one of the only women on-site, Emily has become a trailblazer for female representation in the sector – we discovered more of her journey, as well as what might be coming next…

Emily on...starting out in environmental testing

“This is my first job out of university, having graduated in 2024 from the University of Sheffield, where I studied Environmental Science. From then on, I just knew I wanted to work in Environmental Testing. I really enjoyed field work at university, and as much as there were consultancy roles that did look interesting, I just knew I wanted to do a more hands-on role, at least at first.

“Which led me to SOCOTEC. I’ll be honest, I didn't really have a clue what it was to start with - I'd never met anyone who worked in my role, so I didn't really know what it was. I got thrown in at the deep end when I started because there was so much to learn. But equally, being straight out of uni, I was quite keen to continue my learning.

“It was a bit daunting as well, because there are quite a few team members who have been here for 10, or even 20 plus years.”

Emily on...being the only woman on site

“It was a bit intimidating starting because everyone I work day-to-day with, in terms of site teams, were just men, making me the only woman. However, everyone's been so welcoming, it’s one of the reasons why I just don't think I could leave, because we have such a good team.

“It's a weird one as well, but because everyone's been so lovely, I almost don't notice being the only woman anymore. With the sites I go to as part of the role, if there's a woman there, I'm like, ‘oh wow!’, as I’m so used to working with men all the time. Although I would certainly love for this to change!

“It can be difficult, though, and finding the women’s toilet is the bane of my life, there are plenty of sites that just don’t have female toilets.”

Emily on...her university journey and FTIR work

“My dissertation was based on FTIR microscopy. Whilst I was doing that, I realised I'd love to do more FTIR work, but how do you find a job doing that? It’s so niche, you can't just type that into Google and find a job!

“It’s been exciting to return to that topic and area of work, because I've been put on additional training and pushed more into FTIR work itself. I think it's great that if you show interest and enthusiasm, especially in our office, you can get pushed toward some really niche, interesting roles.”

Emily on...her most exciting assignment yet

“You also get quite interesting work with FTIR, it can certainly take you to some different sites! I did a job that saw us testing fire extinguishers in tanks, with three FTIR machines set up because it was such a huge, technical and important job.

“It was quite exciting, learning the different things that FTIR can test and the scope of the testing, I think it's probably the most interesting thing we do.”

Emily on...travel, fieldwork and finding the balance

“Well, across England, we cover Birmingham to Middlesbrough, as well as the North of Wales, so it is a lot of travelling. But, the thing is, as much as driving to Hull, for example, is a really long drive and tiring with early starts, if I have a week where I’m in the office all week, I find it not as exciting – I really like the variety of this role and my UK geography has definitely improved!

“Being stuck in a factory can be a bit claustrophobic, but I really enjoy working on quarries the most. You get great views over the Derbyshire Dales and areas of real natural beauty.

“There's an idea among us that if you can survive your first winter, you are right for the job. I started in July, so I had a few good months and then was straight into the cold and wet of winter – but I’m still here now, so I guess I really do love the job.”

Emily on...mentorship and career progression

“There have been so many helpful colleagues, in terms of my learning and development. Nathan Dinsdale joined a year before me, similarly a student fresh out of university, and him being a year ahead of me has been a real driver in terms of learning from him. He’s just become a team leader, and seeing him progress quite quickly has given me the ambition that I can too – I’ve already finished three of my Level 2 exams, I've got one more and then hopefully I can compete for a team leader position in early 2027.

“I think that's one thing that I find really beneficial about doing the exams is it's like, right, you've passed this, it's proof to yourself that you know what you're doing, you're ready to take on more.”

Emily on...gender representation in the industry

“It's a weird one because my degree was a 50-50 split, which reflects the experience in our team, with most of the guys having Geography degrees and that kind of thing. So I actually found it surprising when I started, that there weren’t more women.

“We had Stackfest in March [SOCOTEC’s annual Air & Emissions conference], and that was a great opportunity to meet the other offices, and the other women that are in the team, because we have lots of women at our office, but it is rare out on-site. So, it was great to chat to them, and I’d love to meet up again.

“I'd never met someone that had done this job before and I'd never heard of this job before starting at SOCOTEC, maybe that's the issue. Add in the factor that there’s just not many people that do the job, and then you’ve got an even lesser proportion of representation opportunities.”

Emily on...advice for other women in the field

“I sometimes wonder if one of the reasons I lacked confidence when I started was because of the gender disparity. My confidence has certainly grown through gaining more skills, but I think the biggest advice I can give to other women considering a role in the field is, ‘don't feel like you can't do something or try - put yourself out there, ask for more opportunities’.

“I also know that some women are put off by lifting heavy things, but I want everyone to know women can lift heavy things!

“One thing that has been fundamental to my upbringing is going to an all-girls school, as you’re never told you can't do something and you're not in competition with boys. It was such a rewarding experience and it’s important to maintain that frame of mind, that, ‘yes, I can do something in spite of my gender’, I think lots of people could benefit more from that mindset."