Haas Technical Education Centres (HTECs) Support Female Engineering Students

Kristin Alexandersson is a rarity: a young woman building a successful career in the typically male dominated world of CNC machine tool sales. For three and a half years, she has been working as a CNC machine tool sales engineer for Haas Factory Outlet (HFO) Edströms Maskin in Jönköping, Sweden.

Kristin originally studied social psychology. But, soon after she completed her course her career took an unpredicted turn towards engineering when she discovered a 2-year post-graduate course in industrial leadership and automation.

‘I never considered a career in precision engineering or manufacturing when I was thinking about my study options’, Kristin explains. ‘The idea was never presented to me in an inspiring way and my early impressions of industry were not favourable.

‘When I applied for the job at Edströms I didn’t know much about the machines I would be selling,” she explains, “but my university course had given me a good foundation and it was this, and my study of automation, that appealed to the company.’
 
Kristin also works on Edströms’ HTEC program in Sweden, acting as an intermediary between schools and the HTEC partner companies, as well as organising seminars for the students.

‘The HTEC program is a brilliant and positive program for young people interested in engineering”, she explains. “We are working to increase the number of students who are enrolling but I would also like to work with the HTEC to reach out to more female students as I think the industry has so much to offer them.’