An 18-year-old technical apprentice at a leading engineering firm is celebrating being one of the youngest members elected onto the shadow board of an influential business group.
Andrea Henry has been elected onto the Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster Shadow Board to champion diversity and inclusion.
Andrea, who was brought up in Aberdeen before moving to Cumbria last year, attended her first meeting of the board this week having only recently turned 18.
Andrea, who works for McMenon Engineering Services in Workington, said: “I am thrilled and very excited to have been elected onto the shadow board. I am looking forward to seeing how it works and how I can best contribute.
“I am keen to ensure that diversity and inclusion extends right across the community, including in all our schools and colleges. It’s very important to develop good relationships in the community and to understand what difficulties people face and find out about people’s different points of view.
“If we don’t know what people from diverse backgrounds need, then how do we know what to offer? Being a female from an ethnic minority background, born in India and raised in Scotland, I already have been exposed to a range of diverse experiences – migrating to the UK, learning to live life as an ethnic minority.
“I am looking forward to promoting inclusion and diversity not just in the big organisations in Cumbria but in the smaller SMEs as well. We all need to work together.
“I also think it’s very important for young people’s voices to be heard and for young people to be given opportunities to learn. It is the next generation who will implement change and it’s very important that we know and experience how businesses and organisations work so that we can make a positive difference.
“I have been fortunate to be part of a generation which has been taught through childhood and school the importance of sustainability not just from an environmental perspective but from a social and economic perspective too. I am aware how important it is to balance economic progression with environmental protection.
“I am also keen to participate and contribute positively to the debate on renewable energy sources, nuclear energy and their sustainable development, a topic of priority for BECBC, Cumbria and the broader UK economy.”
Andrea is studying for her engineering degree apprenticeship at Lakes College, Lillyhall.
