Liberal Democrat Candidate Helen Morgan met directors Patricia Mawuli Porter and Jonathan Porter to find out how they are promoting essential skills to a wider audience.
Local businesswoman Patricia Mawuli shows Helen how she is promoting engineering careers to women and young people in the Midlands
Liberal Democrat Candidate Helen Morgan visited local aviation firm Metal Seagulls Ltd on Friday to learn more about the light aircraft industry in the area and a special project plane registered G-WXYZ. The light aircraft has been built by Patricia with a team of around 300 volunteers keen to learn new skills, 75% of whom were women and/or under 25. The Zenair CH750 STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) plane is now complete. Having completed its test flight programme it will be sold to raise funds for the next exciting project at Metal Seagulls, which will give even more youngsters much needed hands-on experience of engineering in aviation.
Patricia is the first civilian Ghanaian woman to obtain a Ghanaian Pilots licence, the only black female aircraft inspector in the UK for the Light Aircraft Association and British Microlight Aircraft Association, and she is the only woman worldwide to be factory trained by Rotax Aircraft Engines and ULPower Aero Engines… and is now running an aviation business with her husband at Sleap Aerodrome in Shropshire.
Helen learning how local firm Metal Seagulls is promoting careers in STEM to young women
Helen said “Patricia is an inspiration to women who might not have considered a career in engineering. As our industries become more automated, engineering skills will be increasingly important, but many women lack the confidence to enter traditionally male occupations. The G-WXYZ project has provided valuable insight for a huge number of young people, and we are lucky to have Metal Seagulls in North Shropshire.”
Metal Seagulls director Jonathan said: “It is a pleasure to receive a parliamentary candidate who shows such a genuine interest local development, was down to earth and shared the same values and beliefs as we do in relation to the needs of business and young people in Shropshire. We wish Helen every success and believe that she will make an outstanding MP for North Shropshire.”