At 28, Vanessa Kadewere is turning her passion for marine engineering into a career, as she undertakes her internship with Malawi Lake Services (MLS), where she is among the few female trainees in the male-dominated field.
Vanessa, who holds an Advanced Diploma in Marine Engineering, says her ambition is to become a Chief Engineer. Her journey into the profession was inspired in 2017 while she was still in secondary school, after meeting a female engineer who motivated her to consider marine engineering as a career.
Inspired by what she saw, Vanessa later applied to study Marine Engineering and successfully pursued the qualification. She is now gaining practical experience at MLS as she works towards achieving her dream of becoming a Chief Engineer.
Vanessa is encouraging more young women to consider careers traditionally viewed as being for men, saying there is no job that should be limited to one gender.
«“Girls should do whatever job they think is for men. There is no such a thing. If you have the passion and determination, you can do it,” she said.»
Malawi Lake Services Chief Executive Officer Joseph Banda said the company is committed to providing young people, including women, with opportunities to gain practical experience and develop skills in the marine industry. He said having women like Vanessa in the field demonstrates that marine engineering can offer opportunities to anyone with the interest, qualifications and determination to pursue it.
