On Monday at Austal in Alabama, the Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey made an appearance to honor the roughly 300 female employees that assisted in building the powerful ship coming out of Austal. When Ivey took the stage she encouraged the workers to mentor future generations saying, “As one of the ladies told me she was a newbie, been here five months and she didn’t know what being a shipbuilder meant but now, she says I know what being a ship builder is, Because STEM is the wave of the future,” Ivey said.
Austal Controller Christy Taylor added, “Actually, here at Austal, we don’t look at it as male versus female. So that was something really that the governor said that rang true to me, professionally because I too, when I sit at the table I don’t see male or female, we’re just one Austal team.”
Taylor worked at Austal for 15 years and said that hearing from the governor was an honor saying, “To hear her story and hear how she came up through such male-dominated industries as well and just making herself, as far as a voice for women and inspiring not only the women here at Austal but inspiring us to go out and challenge younger generations.”
Austal also partnered with schools in the area in order to inspire future generations of women.
Taylor concluded by saying, “We are integrating ourselves more into the schools, So while there’s maybe particular areas where we want to continue rather that be in the engineering field or the professional environment, it’s also in those vocational areas so engaging with colleges and universities, speaking to our young people, making sure that they recognize that you don’t have to be male to work in this male-dominated industry.”
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