Northamptonshire engineer leads local celebrations on International Women in Engineering Day

International Women in Engineering Day (23rd June) is a global awareness campaign that celebrates women in engineering. This year’s theme is Enhanced by Engineering, celebrating the women who have made people’s everyday lives better through their work.

Paulina Stawnicka from Northamptonshire works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Daventry as an automation engineer.

Paulina joined Amazon in 2019 through the Amazon Apprenticeship programme and her apprenticeship was in automation engineering. Paulina explains how her interest in engineering was sparked early during her school and college days.

“I studied A-Levels in maths and product design at college, alongside a BTEC in engineering. It was during the D&T lessons that my interest for engineering and design began. My teacher was brilliant, and he got me interested in engineering. I loved working with electronics and making things from wood. I also really enjoyed the design process, so that’s where it all started for me.

“When I finished college, around this time, I saw an advert for the Amazon Apprenticeship programme. The job description seemed very interesting and was well-suited to my interests, while also offering the chance to work on control systems and even robots. I applied and, thankfully, I was successful.”

Paulina, who has been with Amazon for just under five years, has worked in different teams across several Amazon sites during her time with the company. Her Amazon career began at the Dunstable fulfilment centre, before she moved to Amazon in Rugby. Today, she’s part of the team at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Daventry.

“A huge part of my development has been moving between sites, meeting new people and working with different equipment,” Paulina said. “All those experiences have helped me to build my knowledge – I learned so much and met so many great people over the last few years.”

The variety of roles, equipment and Amazon sites is the thing that Paulina likes most about her job. “Amazon has endless possibilities to grow and develop. For me, this is the best thing about working at Amazon – no two days are the same. I find that motivating and inspiring.”

As someone who has enjoyed a career in engineering, Paulina offers advice to others who are interested in the field, and in STEM careers in general. “If there’s a career out there that you’re interested in, there’s always a way to get into it. There is lots of courses, work experience opportunities and training programmes available out there. The start is not always easy – you will face hurdles – but don’t be discouraged about not knowing everything on day one, and keep going.

“I already had a lot of interest in engineering when I joined Amazon, but I didn’t have much practical knowledge apart from what I learned at college and during placements. The support I’ve received from my colleagues across various sites over the years has helped me to move to the position I am in today. In great companies like Amazon, knowledge and support is widely available – it’s about making the most of it and taking all the opportunities that come your way,” she added.

Josh Vause, Site Leader at Amazon in Daventry, added: “At Amazon, we celebrate our female engineers every day, but International Women in Engineering Day gives extra reason to shine a spotlight on their excellent work. We’re happy that Paulina has shared her story to help more women see what they can accomplish in STEM careers.”

Amazon has 13 affinity groups, also known as employee resource groups. They play an important role in bringing Amazon employees together and create a sense of community globally while encouraging inclusivity and diversity. These groups include Amazon Women in Engineering, Families at Amazon, the Black Employee Network, Asians at Amazon, People with Disabilities and Women at Amazon.

To find out more about careers at Amazon, visit https://www.jobsatamazon.co.uk/#/