Georgina Daniel, aged 20, is the first woman to join the Stockport firm’s die-making team since it was founded in 1964. She joined Arden’s rubbering department in 2017 ahead of her transfer to die-making this year.
She said: “When I first joined Arden, I hadn’t even heard of die-making. At the time I’d been working as a customer service apprentice in a warehouse, but I wasn’t enjoying it and needed a change.
“I always knew that I wanted to do a physical job and work with my hands. Manufacturing and engineering really appealed to me and I wanted to learn a skilled trade. I just knew I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day.
“To be a die-maker, you need to be technically minded, physically fit as it involves swinging a hammer all day, and have good hand eye co-ordination, but women can have these skills too. I’m really proud to be Arden’s first female die-maker.”
Currently, women make up 8% of people working in skilled trades roles and less than 15% of people working in the STEM industries, but Daniel said she wants to encourage more women to consider a career in these male-dominated sectors.
Arden Dies is part of the Arden Group, whose other subsidiaries are Arden Engraving and Arden Software. In February, it became the first UK die-maker to achieve accreditation from Bobst after undertaking the manufacturer’s comprehensive certification programme.
