Molly Starkes was 16 and standing at a fork in the road. She was smart and academic, but done with school. One life path would lead her into the world her mother had chosen: art. The other led to the workshops where her father worked, first as a mechanic, then as a calibration engineer for Ford.
Starkes helped her dad fix cars, and loved to work on DIY projects around the house. But part of her life’s soundtrack also included the buzz of her mum’s tattoo studio, set up in their garden. She knew the customers and drew her own tattoo designs. At school, she excelled at both art and maths, her mind both creative and logical.
In the end, she decided she didn’t want to make art her profession and be “creative on demand”. It was her passion, and she wanted to keep it that way. Plus, her dad urged her to try engineering and explore her interests. “Go and find what you like and take it from there,” he’d said.
And so, as a teenager who was too young to drive or go for after-work drinks, Starkes signed up for an apprenticeship job at Ford. She went from a small Essex village school to east London, learning electromechanical maintenance. Catching a train there or back could take three hours. “It was intense,” Starkes says. “But I was very determined.”
Learning on the job
During the pandemic, when Ford joined other companies to make and deliver ventilators to the NHS, Starkes was there, putting in the hours and experiencing a whole new manufacturing process. (Ford set up an operation that would usually take a year in just three weeks.)
Four years later, having learned so much about fixing machines on assembly lines, she found herself at another fork in the road.
Her apprenticeship was coming to an end, but so was the era of the internal combustion engine, which Henry Ford had made affordable to the masses. Starkes could see the shift from hardware to software, and decided to sign up for a second (higher) apprenticeship, which would allow her to pick up her studies and get an engineering degree. This time, her focus was product development.
She spent time in half a dozen departments. She tested alcohol breathalyser technology and software that helped cars stay within their lanes. She felt proud knowing these features made roads safer.
The degree led her into the world of coding. She loved being able to design a software feature and have a go at building it.
Early recognition
The new apprenticeship also meant moving from Ford’s Dagenham plant to its headquarters in Basildon in Essex, where she was surrounded by many more women working in engineering. This encouraged her to try something that has become a whole new passion – visiting schools and promoting her industry. Her group of volunteers have visited 30 schools, speaking to over 1,500 pupils. Earlier this year, she was one of the winners at Autocar’s Great Women Awards, picking up a prize in the apprenticeship category.
“It’s bizarre to get recognition this early on,” says the 24-year-old. “I love doing it and I’m already working with some of the people I spoke to [while visiting classrooms].”
Starkes’ second apprenticeship will end in September. She’s planning to stay at Ford to continue her journey into coding. The part that fascinates her is programming ways to automate product testing.
“I started out as an electrician and now I’m a software developer,” she says. “I don’t assume to know where I’ll be in 10 years’ time. But I want to keep doing things that interest me.”
She says young engineers sometimes feel intimidated by the perceptions that surround certain industries. She hopes her story helps builds a new narrative.
“Go for what you’re actually passionate about, rather than where you think you’re going to be most comfortable. There are places that are very supportive.”
An IMechE member, Starkes has met many engineers who share her creativity and are painters in their spare time. She’s painted so much she used to run an online shop to sell some of her canvases. Owner of a rescue dog (a Staffy and whippet cross named Mabel), she is currently creating colourful pet portraits. And she’s spent the past two years renovating her home.
The paths she faced as a teenager have intertwined into a single life. A life where lines of computer code blend with acrylic paintbrush strokes and a growing collection of tattoos. Where someone who’s just about to finish their apprenticeship is already inspiring others who find themselves standing at crossroads.
To nominate an IMechE member making a difference, email profeng@thinkpublishing.co.uk.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.