She’s an Engineer features the lives and stories of our inspiring women engineers who are members of WES
Michelle Wolf, Coachbuilder, Firstbus
I repair bodywork on buses and coaches. That could include welding rotten chassis, fabricating panels, filler repair work, fibreglass repair work, painting, replacing flooring and any accident damage
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
It could be anything from an RTC (road traffic collision), to resealing roofs due to water ingress, or welding, it completely differs daily
What advice would you give to your 15 year old self
Follow what you enjoy, don’t be afraid and give yourself opportunities
Who or what inspired you to get into engineering?
I always loved working with my hands, I enjoy building and making things and I’m also a bit of a perfectionist so fixing buses and making them look new again after accident damage really fills me with a sense of achievement.
What was your route into engineering?
Apprenticeship
What are the best and worst things about the job?
The best things about my job are seeing the buses/coaches looking as good as new after they come in damaged. It gives me a real sense of achievement. The worse things about my job are it can take a toll on my body physically.
Where do you see your industry in 25 – 30 years time?
Electric! Which I’m excited to learn more about! I would also love to see more women in the workshop, hands on as I am the only female in my workshop and have always been surrounded by male co-workers!
