WHEN IT comes to attaining a position of power Joanne Fagan has shone through as a leading light.

For the 30-year-old Process Leader at Fawley Power Station is the only woman in npower to do the job - and possibly the only female in the UK to hold the responsible position.

She manages to juggle the responsibilities of home and family life with working shifts at the oil-powered station - and she admitted she loves the challenge.

"There are very few female engineers in this industry. I think sometimes that people aren't aware there are opportunities for women.

"But it is a very good job for women and there is a very defined career structure," she said.

Joanne's responsibilities range from looking after the commercial side of operations to organising manpower and taking responsibility for safety at the power station.

When Fawley power station is on-line it supplies 500 megawatts to the national grid - that's more or less enough power to keep Southampton alight.

She is the only female working on shifts in the company and this is by no means unusual in the industry.

When she attends industry training courses she is always the only female. The only other woman working at Fawley Power Station is the Station manager's secretary.

Fawley station manager Nick Stockdale said: "Joanne shows a drive and dedication second to none , tackling her role here with utmost professionalism whilst juggling her responsibilities as a mother and student at the same time."

Joanne works 12-hour shifts and husband Johnathan, 36, also works shifts at Didcot Power Station near Oxford.

They have moved away from family so share the responsibility for caring for their two-and-a-half-year-old-daughter Elise.

"It has been quite tricky but it does work out for us. Ironically, working shifts means I get to spend more time at home than if I was working 9-5.

"If Johnathan is home he looks after Elise and when we have time off together we do things as a family," she said.

She gained an Energy and Environment Technology degree at the University of Glamorgan, which at the time had an affiliation with what was then known as National Power, now RWE npower.

The course was four years long with the third year being a year in industry. Joanne was interviewed for a placement at Pembroke Power Station and won the placement.

She worked there for a year in 1994 before returning to university for her final year.

Having finished university, Joanne was offered an opportunity to undertake a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) at Aberthaw Power Station, in a joint initiative between her university and National Power.

Here she worked as a research assistant. Having completed the qualification, she upgraded to a PhD and went to work in the company's head office in Swindon.

Joanne has found that although a number of women do work in engineering, most do not consider a career in the operations side of power stations.

There is an assumption that it is dirty work that cannot be undertaken by a woman, but Joanne maintains that there is a lot of academic and problem solving involved.

She does not believe that there are any roles at a power station that a woman could not do and actively encourages women to consider a career in a power station.

"It is really interesting and varied work - when I come on shift I have no idea what I am walking into. I am ambitious and would like to become a station manager," she said.