Royal Navy engineer shows her support for #INWED22

A female engineer from HMS Collingwood is showing her support for this International Women in Engineering Day, 23 June 2022.

Trainee Weapon Engineering Officer Sub Lieutenant Rebecca Addis, 26, from Gloucester, has never looked back following her decision to join the Royal Navy as an Engineer and is hoping she can inspire others to look into the exciting world of Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM).

Rebecca joined the Navy for the challenges, she said “When I graduated from Cardiff University, I fell into several jobs but needed a bigger challenge. I chose to join the Royal Navy knowing I could be tested academically but also personally.

Joining the engineering department meant that I could use my STEM skills and analytical thinking.  I like the challenge of making decisions under pressure and having to ensure my knowledge and the knowledge of my team is up to a standard to achieve this.”

Being part of the Navy also offers Rebecca the opportunity to play rugby, doing so for the past 10 years she has more recently represented the RN Women’s Senior Team as Vice Captain. 

When asked about her career choice and the future she said “So far, my confidence has grown massively, and I am excited to take on more responsibility and push myself further on ship in my first role. In terms of my career, with technology advancing at the rate it is I am looking forward to keeping the Royal Navy ahead of the curve in the systems it uses and hope to be a part of the development of cutting-edge solutions.

Alongside my role in Weapon Engineering, I hope to keep up my involvement in the RN Women’s Rugby Team and promote success for women in STEM in the Armed Forces.”

The photograph, Crown Copyright, shows Rebecca in a classroom.