DESPITE always being interested in "what made things work", Diane Arthurs was discouraged at school from pursuing a career in engineering and told instead to think about getting qualifications for an office job.

But now, after a decade-long career in schools, focusing on special educational needs teaching in Lancashire and the North West, Diane is helping to change lives as the newest member of the Oldham-based Ace Centre’s charity’s engineering and technology team.

The Ace Centre provides support for people with complex communications difficulties with a focus on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and assistive technology (AT). An integral part of the organisation is its innovative technology and engineering expertise.

With the support and encouragement of the charity Diane is just about to complete an HNC in Mechanical and Production Engineering at Preston College /Uclan – as a mature student and the only woman on the course. And she’s riding high - currently securing distinctions in all her modules so far.

“Looking back, engineering and associated skills have always been part of my life – problem solving, creating, fixing. I just didn’t have the opportunity to express or pursue it in formal terms.”

Diane’s had a fascinating route into engineering; she got her HGV licence to enable her to drive and maintain a 7.5 tonne motor home when taking a family friend from Lancashire to Southern Europe to aid his health.

She continued an interest in manufacturing by marrying it with creativity designing and producing intricate stained glass lamps and window panels in her spare time.

After specialising in foreign language teaching in special educational need settings, Diane initially joined Ace Centre as a communication consultant – assessing and supporting clients with their communication needs.

While out in the field, she has become increasingly interested in the communication technology itself and how to make it more accessible and effective.

She’s currently working on developing a more intuitive and practical head switch mount which enables users to control and direct their communication device more effectively and practically.

She said: “Our work at the Ace Centre is more than every day communication - we’re also helping people to get their opinions heard, to take control of their environment and achieve their own ambitions – it’s great to be bringing my language and educational skills and harnessing technology and engineering to help people in this way.”

After celebrating International Women in Engineering Day 2019 on Sunday (June 23) Diane now wants to use her story and her work to motivate more girls to see engineering as a potential and inspirational career and not to face the barriers and prejudice she felt as a school girl.

Challenging the presumption that engineering and technology is "for boys" and toolkits are "boys toys" is a particular interest. Exploration and engineering isn’t limited to the day job – Diane is an expert caver discovering and surveying new cave systems where nobody has been before.