We’re hoping to inspire women to take up jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries
The Shields Ferry’s latest recruits are hoping to be an inspiration to women.
Louise McDowell, from Hebburn, and Nathalie Zafirkovska, from South Shields, are hoping to inspire other women to think about careers in traditionally male-dominated industries as they take up roles on the Shields Ferry.
Both women are training on the Ferry’s two vessels in the role of Second Mate.
Following Louise, 44, and Nathalie, 56, joining the team, Nexus has said it is keen to see more women apply for the Shields Ferry, overcoming the traditional gender stereo-type attached to the job.
Louise commented: “I would definitely recommend other women to think about a job at the Shields Ferry and not to be put off by it at all. It’s a brilliant place to work.
“This is a great opportunity for me in a really hands on role, and you can’t get much more hands on than the ferry. It’s a new challenge and one that I’m really excited about.
“I see it as the next step in my career and I’m looking forward to taking all of the training and the boat master licence test.
“It’s not a job to be daunted by. It’s given me greater confidence already. I love learning about how the ferries work.”
Nathalie, who is originally from Serbia, has lived in the UK for 26 years and recently moved to the North East from London.
She added: “I hope that we’re setting a great example for other girls to follow and that we can inspire them to think about a career like this. It would be great to see more women working on the ferry.
“I’m really loving the role. I love being on the water. It’s an iconic service here in the region and I’m very proud to be a part of that.
“All the customers have been saying to us that it’s great to see more women members of the crew.”
As part of their training, both Louise and Nathalie are undergoing familiarisation on both of the Shields ferries – Pride of the Tyne and Spirit of the Tyne.
The pair are also learning fire fighting and sea survival, which involves putting on a survival suit and going into a four-metre deep wave generation pool at the South Shields Marine School.
The pool is designed to simulate a swell and trainees have to successfully pull themselves up from the water and into a life raft.
Kevin Leonard, Customer Services Operations Manager at Nexus, commented: “We really want to see more women and girls applying for roles on the ferry. Both Louise and Nathalie are a shining example for others to follow and they’re very much blazing a trail.
“Ferry crew has been a traditionally male dominated job, but we want to change that, and it’s part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion right across our workforce.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the girls undertake their training. We know they’re getting a great response from our customers when they see them on board.”
You can find out more about the Shields Ferry at: https://www.nexus.org.uk/ferry.