Trailblazing lecturer calls for change in male-dominated industry

ABI PENNY, Senior Lecturer in Motorsport Engineering at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), is calling for greater support to encourage more women into motorsport careers. With nearly two decades of teaching and hands-on experience in the field, Abi is determined to inspire the next generation of female engineers and challenge outdated stereotypes.

“Motorsport has been my passion for as long as I can remember,” she said. “And I feel incredibly fortunate that it’s become my career.”

Abi has spent the past 18 years teaching Motorsport Engineering at UWTSD and says the industry has transformed during that time. From hybrid powertrains to advanced simulation and data modelling, engineering has become more diverse and dynamic than ever before. But one thing, she says, has remained stubbornly unchanged — the low number of women entering the profession.

“For years, I was the only woman in our motorsport department. Today, there are two of us, and nationally, women now make up around 10 per cent of the motorsport workforce — a small but significant step forward.”

According to Abi, breaking the stereotype of the “grease-covered mechanic” is key to making engineering more appealing and accessible to girls and young women.

“Engineering isn’t just about spanners and overalls,” she explains. “Modern motorsport includes roles in software, simulation, and data analysis. There’s space in this industry for people with a wide range of skills and personalities. You can still love fashion, wear heels, and have amazing nails if you want — and still be a great engineer.”

Abi credits her own success to the support of her rally-enthusiast father, a strong feminist mother, and inspiring maths teachers at Llangatwg Comprehensive and St John Baptist School. But she knows many young women don’t get that same encouragement early on.

“There’s been great progress in promoting STEM subjects, but we need to keep going. We need to show girls what’s possible — that engineering is an exciting, well-paid, and global career with strong maternity support and genuine camaraderie.”

She highlights initiatives such as F1 in Schools, Green Power, and Motorsport UK’s Girls on Track programme as examples of what’s working. At UWTSD, 10 per cent of current motorsport students are female — a milestone being celebrated with a series of events to foster a stronger community of women in the sector.

UWTSD’s BEng Motorsport Engineering programme, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, was the first of its kind in the world. Founded by former lecturer Roger Dowden, it has produced graduates who now work for leading names in the industry, including McLaren, Bentley, Ford, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Gordon Murray Automotive.

“Our course blends academic rigour with real-world experience,” Abi said. “We work closely with industry to ensure our graduates are job-ready and in high demand.”

Her message to the next generation is clear: “You don’t have to be a petrolhead to succeed. You just need curiosity, determination, and a belief in yourself. To any girl out there dreaming of motorsport — believe me when I say, you can do anything.”

SENEDD Members warned “something must be done” with smartphones causing disruption in classrooms and fuelling mental health problems among pupils.

Carolyn Thomas, who chairs the petitions committee, led a debate in the Senedd on May 14 amid a growing chorus of calls for restrictions on mobile phone use in schools.

The committee launched an inquiry in response to a 3,369-name petition submitted by Zena Blackwell, publishing a report with recommendations for the Welsh Government.

Ms Thomas told the Senedd her committee found no clear consensus, urging Welsh ministers to introduce national guidance rather than an outright ban.

Pointing out that 83% of children have a smartphone by Year 6, she said: “Classroom teachers… told us phones cause all sorts of problems in schools, we heard some quite shocking evidence on this.”

But she raised evidence from the children’s commissioner, NSPCC, Barnardo’s, and Parents Voices in Wales, which all expressed concerns about a ban.

The Labour politician, who represents North Wales, pointed to evidence from Diabetes UK that smartphones help children manage their condition throughout the schoolday.

Ms Thomas added that exemptions could be required for young carers and disabled or neurodivergent children who may similarly rely on their smartphones.

“We all struggle with the addictive nature of phones,” she said. “There’s the strong argument that children are that much more vulnerable and need greater protection.

“But they also need to learn how to safely function in a digital world. Legislators, and society in general, are still struggling to find the right answers.”

She said: “The evidence base is still quite limited but growing all the time. As a committee, we felt strongly that ‘something has to be done’ but actions need to be evidence-based.”

Calling for guidance to ensure a consistent approach across the country, she emphasised the importance of parental engagement and being mindful of teachers’ workloads.

South Wales East MS Natasha Asghar, the Conservatives’ shadow education secretary, similarly said: “We cannot continue with the… status quo – something needs to give.”

But Ms Asghar went further than the committee in supporting an outright ban on smartphones, save for exceptional circumstances such as medical needs.

She told the Senedd: “Mobile phones can indeed be a major distraction, taking our students’ focus away from learning, which is exactly what schools are for.”

Ms Asghar pointed to research showing pupils in schools with an effective ban achieved GCSE results up to two grades higher compared to children in schools with laxer policies.

Criticising plans to let Welsh schools set their own restrictions, she said: “The evidence shows that simply doesn’t work, with one in eight pupils saying schools never confiscate phones even when rules forbidding them are indeed ignored.”

With more and more countries “waking up to the damage phones are doing in our schools”, Ms Asghar called for a non-ambiguous approach to ensure consistency.

She said: “I believe a ban, which sees phones locked up at the start of each school day in lockers and retrieved at the end of the day, is the best approach. It’s the right thing for teachers, it’s the right thing for children and it’s the right thing for parents.”

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow education secretary, suggested national guidance with local implementation by schools would be the best way ahead.

Mr Campbell said: “We have to strike the right balance… between not harming learners – and there is evidence, of course, that that’s happening – and, on the other hand, preparing them for the technical world we live in today.”

John Griffiths emphasised the importance of considering screen use at home as well as in school, with children from “alarmingly” young ages spending a lot of time on smartphones.

The Labour Senedd Member, who represents Newport East, expressed concerns about psychologists being drafted in to make mobile phone games as addictive as possible.

“I see evidence of that in my own family, as I’m sure just about everyone else does,” he said.

Rhys ab Owen, an independent member of the petitions committee, agreed phones can be more of a problem at home with children staying up late at night. “Very often that’s when the bullying happens, at home rather than at school,” he said.

Backing an outright ban, the Tories’ Gareth Davies raised restrictions introduced by France from 2018 with a “digital pause” seeing pupils hand over phones at the start of the day.

Lynne Neagle set out the Welsh Government’s formal response to the report, accepting three of the committee’s five recommendations in full and the other two in principle.

Wales’ education secretary said: “Like the committee, I recognise that an outright national ban does not allow the space for schools to manage the needs of their learners.

“Our approach has always been to give schools autonomy to make decisions on the use of mobile phones… however, I also recognise the need for additional support.”

Ms Neagle told the Senedd an expert group will examine mobile phone use, developing national guidance and exemptions alongside the wider school community.

THE WELSH Conservatives’ new education priorities have come under fire from a leading school leaders’ union, which described the plans as “tabloid headlines” disconnected from the real challenges facing Welsh schools.

Ahead of the party’s conference in Llangollen this week, the Conservatives outlined a series of pledges that include banning mobile phones in classrooms, reintroducing home economics, and allowing schools to convert to academy status – a system currently used in England but not in Wales.

Laura Doel, national secretary of NAHT Cymru, was critical of the proposals, saying: “The Welsh Conservatives’ priorities read more like tabloid headlines than carefully considered policies for improving children’s education. They are completely out of touch with reality.”

Doel argued that many of the proposals were unnecessary, pointing out that home economics remains part of the curriculum under different guises, and that most schools already have effective mobile phone policies. She also dismissed the call for academies, saying: “Changing the name above a school doesn’t change the quality of teaching or experience of the pupils in it.”

She added that the key concerns among school leaders remain unresolved: “Our members’ priorities are funding, the recruitment and retention of teachers, ALN reform, conditions of service for teachers and leaders, and support for small schools.”

However, some of the Conservative proposals may reflect broader concerns among parents and communities. Recent surveys have shown public unease about classroom discipline, digital distraction, and pupil safety – concerns the Conservatives appear keen to address with more uniform policy approaches.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Conservatives said their priorities were based on “what parents are telling us,” and insisted that schools needed “a clear framework for excellence, not excuses for underperformance.”

They added: “We want to empower schools, ensure pupils are learning practical life skills, and put an end to the distractions that undermine classroom discipline.”

The debate comes as Welsh schools continue to adapt to the new Curriculum for Wales, amid ongoing concerns about funding pressures, teacher workloads, and falling attainment in some core subjects. A recent Estyn report found that while many schools are innovating effectively, others face “significant challenges” in delivering consistent standards.

As the Welsh education debate heats up in the run-up to the next Senedd election, all parties are expected to face scrutiny over how they plan to address long-standing structural issues in the system.