Meet Chloe Pearson West
As part of International Women In Engineering Day, we’d like to introduce you to one of our fantastic Engineers, Chloe Pearson West and let you know a little about her career journey to date and what she enjoys about her job.
1. What was your path to being an Engineer?
I attended Fraserburgh Academy with hopes of becoming a music teacher, however, I realised this wasn’t the path for me. I decided to attend NESCol and complete an HND in Mechanical Engineering. It was there that I learned about the Degree link program with RGU. I achieved a Masters (MEng) in Mechanical Engineering and secured a graduate engineer position at Apollo where I have worked since 2019.
2. Tell us about your role - what does it involve?
I am currently an engineer at Apollo. My working day is never the same, I can be working on calculation and drawing packs for offshore platform modifications one day and the next, I am working on FEA for offshore floating wind turbines.
3. What’s the biggest misconception people have about your job?
The biggest misconception about my role is that being an engineer within Energy often involves working offshore. I have the opportunity to go offshore and some of our engineers do go offshore, but there’s more to my job – a lot of my work is problem-solving and desktop-based engineering.
4. Do you have any personal goals that you are hoping to achieve?
I am currently in Year 4 of my IMechE chartership, which I hope to achieve soon with the Apollo MPDS scheme.
5. What attracted you to work for Apollo?
I was attracted to working for Apollo because they were a smaller company. I have had the opportunity for more experience and learning – I wasn’t one of 50 graduates, I was one of four and am still “thrown in the deep end” and given huge responsibilities and opportunities.
6. Working at Apollo, what’s one thing that has surprised you?
The one thing that has really surprised me is how trusting they are to let you do the job. They know who they hire are the best for the job and the trust you are consequently given to problem solve and use your knowledge to solve the issues in a job is second to none. When I compare the responsibilities and opportunities I have been given to some of my counterparts on my degree, I feel very grateful.
7. Who do you look up to within Apollo and why?
Rosa Cagantas, one of Apollo’s Principle Engineers. She works in my team and I’m always impressed at her tenacity to work her way up and her experience. It’s also really good to work with another female within engineering and hear about her experiences, not only with Apollo but within the wider industry.
8. What is your advice to someone considering a career in engineering?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is an exciting time to get into engineering, with lots of new opportunities and technology advancements going on as the industry pushes towards net zero.
Thank you Chloe. We’re delighted to have you as part of the team.
If you’re interested in joining Apollo check out our current vacancies.