Notes and reflections from CeeD Scotland’s Together We Engineer at Aggreko (April 2026)
I went along to CeeD Scotland’s Together We Engineer session, Pathways & Progress, hosted at Aggreko’s Lomondgate site in Dumbarton. The headline topic was simple: how do we widen access to engineering and make progression feel possible once people are in?
Speakers on the day included Chris Black (Head of Manufacturing), David McDonald (Head of Central Product Engineering), Dawn Demellweek (Head of Sustainability & Compliance), Sarah Watkins (Head of HR), and Nic MacPherson (Operations Director).
Aggreko shared how they’re strengthening early‑career routes (including Modern Apprenticeships) while broadening development pathways across the business. One encouraging signal: they’re seeing strong uptake in engineering apprenticeships from women. The conversations that followed kept circling back to four themes: pathways, retention, progression, and the everyday leadership choices that shape culture.
After the discussion, we were taken on a tour of the facilities by some of Aggreko’s female apprentices. It was a small moment that really landed for me: giving apprentices the space to be brave, talk about their work, and represent the company didn’t just inform the rest of us - it visibly showcased the effort Aggreko is putting into empowering and skilling its young workforce.
What stuck with me
There’s more than one way in (and learning doesn’t stop)
It was refreshing to hear a strong endorsement of non‑linear routes. Apprenticeships. Later‑in‑life degrees. Moving sideways to move up. David McDonald (Head of Central Product Engineering) reflected on starting as an apprentice and then going to university later, when the theory “suddenly made sense”. The point wasn’t “pick the best pathway”, it was make the pathways obvious, then back people to keep learning as their role changes.
- Signpost the routes (plain English, not tribal knowledge).
- Normalise development: learning alongside work shouldn’t feel like a special favour.
Getting people in is only half the job (retention is where it gets real)
We talk a lot about attracting people into engineering. But the harder question is what happens after the entry point, especially mid‑career, when life gets busy and progression can quietly slow down.
As Dawn Demellweek (Head of Sustainability & Compliance) put it, inclusion must translate into day‑to‑day experience because that’s what drives retention. She shared that 16% of Aggreko’s workforce are female and 21% of leadership roles are held by women: movement in the right direction, and proof that representation shifts when the system keeps nudging the right way.
- Zoom in on mid‑career: that’s where a lot of organisations lose momentum (and talent).
- Build flexibility in: make it part of role design, not a “request”.
Progression can’t be a mystery
Another theme was visibility. Not everyone knows what “good” looks like, how decisions get made, or how to put themselves forward for the next step. And when criteria are fuzzy, bias has more room to creep in. The apprentice-led tour was a great example of the opposite: putting real people (early in their careers) front and centre, so pathways feel tangible rather than theoretical.
Sarah Watkins (Head of HR) talked about “micro‑changes”, small tweaks to how you recruit, allocate opportunities, and run development that add up over time. She also highlighted Aggreko’s inclusive leadership programme, which has seen 95% uptake so far: a good example of scaling expectations across managers, rather than relying on a few champions.
- Show the role models (including honest return‑to‑work stories).
- Make fairness procedural: clearer criteria, diverse panels, better checks.
Culture is shaped in a thousand small moments
The most powerful reflections weren’t about policies - they were about people. Confidence. Belonging. Nic MacPherson (Operations Director) shared her own perspective on navigating male‑dominated environments, and the difference it makes when leaders bring emotional intelligence and make space for honest conversations. Mentorship and coaching came through as practical supports especially for those who feel under‑represented.
I left with a question I’m going to keep coming back to: if more women are entering through early‑career routes, what needs to change so they can stay - and keep progressing - at mid‑career?
What I’m taking forward
Here are a few ideas from the breakout conversations shared by people from across the room that felt immediately usable.
They’re not grand gestures. They’re small design choices: how you write a job advert, how you rotate early‑career experiences, how you make flexibility normal, and how you help people move internally without having to “start over”.
- Rewrite adverts in plain English; avoid gender‑coded wording; widen who feels “qualified”.
- Rotate early‑career roles so apprentices/placements build confidence and find the right fit.
- Make internal moves easier by valuing transferable skills (especially for career changers).
- Default to flexible-by-design where you can, instead of treating flexibility as an exception.
- Try reverse mentoring to surface what’s changed in expectations, culture, and barriers.
Quick takeaways
- Multiple pathways work when they’re clearly signposted and properly supported.
- Retention is the real test, especially at mid‑career, where progression can slow.
- Flexibility should be designed in, not negotiated as a one-off.
- Fairness is built from small decisions: language, selection processes, visibility, and everyday leadership behaviours.
Days like this are a good reminder that “inclusive pathways” aren’t abstract. They’re made of tangible decisions in how we recruit, develop, and support people especially at the moments where careers tend to wobble (mid‑career, returning from leave, stepping into leadership for the first time).
I’m leaving this one with a simple prompt for any engineering team: what are you doing this quarter to make progression clearer and to make it easier for people to stay?