Thursday 29 June saw leaders from across the UK’s engineering and manufacturing industries gather at the Enginuity Skills Awards 2023, to celebrate the best in UK engineering and manufacturing talent and the organisations championing skills development to ensure a bright future for these vital sectors in the UK economy.
This annual event is organised by Enginuity, the not-for-profit dedicated to supporting UK engineering and manufacturing employers by finding new ways to close skills gaps and open opportunities. This year’s ceremony, hosted by engineer and TV presenter Kate Bellingham, took place at the Park Plaza London Riverbank, and saw ten prestigious Enginuity Skills Awards being presented.
The big winners of the evening were BAE Systems, which picked up the Apprentice Employer of the Year and Diversity and Inclusion Awards, along with BAE Systems’ Plant Maintenance Electrical Engineer Apprentice Kaylee Mcisaac winning the Large Employer Apprentice of the Year; and Anisha Roberts, an Apprentice Technician at Williams Jet Tenders who took home the SME Apprentice of the Year and the Best of British Engineering Awards.
Enginuity Skills Awards 2023 winners
Apprentice Employer of the Year, sponsored by Teesside University: Creating the right environment for apprentices to thrive is crucial. This award is open to employers of all sizes who value and nurture apprentices, providing skills development that makes a difference.
Winner: BAE Systems plc: BAE Systems plc was recognised for its investment in apprenticeships to provide STEM and other hard to recruit skills.
ME Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by BAE Systems: Celebrates the commitment, innovative thinking and superior skills contributed by an apprentice to the workplace of a small to medium-sized organisation
Winner: Anisha Roberts, Apprentice Technician, Williams Jet Tenders: Anisha impressed the judges for the ways in which she has helped to reduce waste and save money at boat manufacturer, Williams Jet Tenders.
Large Employer Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Rolls-Royce: Celebrates the commitment, innovative thinking, and superior skills contributed by an apprentice to the workplace of a large organisation.
Winner: Kaylee Mcisaac, Plant Maintenance Electrical Engineer Apprentice, BAE Systems: Kaylee picked up the prize for her resilience, having lost her father a year and a half into her apprenticeship; her superior skills; and the extracurricular activities she takes on as a STEM ambassador.
Graduate or Degree Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by University College Birmingham: An individual whose route to a degree or a degree apprenticeship is truly inspirational.
Winner: James Millington, Engineer – Electric Powertrain, Bentley Motors: James impressed the judges with his proactive decision to pursue a degree apprenticeship because he believed it would give him a head start in the automotive industry resilience and his efforts to promote apprenticeships to more people.
Skills Champion of the Year, sponsored by EAL: An individual who commits their heart and soul to training and developing others.
Winner: Ruth Devine, Managing Director, SJD Electrical: Ruth was recognised for the time she dedicates to championing electrotechnical skills and encouraging more women into the sector.
Skills Innovation of the Year, sponsored by QinetiQ: An individual, team or organisation taking an innovative approach to addressing the skills requirements in our industry.
Winner: PM Training and Assessing Ltd – Virtual Reality for Signal Maintenance Engineers: PM Training and Assessing Ltd won the prize for its use of virtual reality to remind railway signal maintenance engineers of the importance of the work they do.
Investment in Skills Lifelong Learning, sponsored by Lloyd’s Register: An organisation committed to investing in the skills development of their existing workforce.
Winner: Legal and General Modular Homes: Legal and General Modular Homes impressed the judges with its on-site Modular Homes Academy.
Diversity and Inclusion, sponsored by Baxi: An organisation, individual or team making a meaningful contribution to improving diversity and inclusion.
Winner: BAE Systems: The judges recognised BAE Systems’ efforts to create an inclusive environment where everyone can make a difference.
Today’s Engineering Visionary, sponsored by Innovate UK: Recognises an individual working to making a difference today that will have an impact for generations to come; someone delivering engineering triumphs for our digital, environmentally aware age.
Winner: Ben Green, Chief Engineer at ITM Power: Ben won the Today’s Engineering Visionary Award for the pioneering work he is doing designing and developing ITM Power’s electrolysers which provide green hydrogen. As well as taking home the Award, Green has also earned his place in Enginuity’s Engineering Hall of Fame.
Best of British Engineering Award: Decided on the evening of the ceremony, from the individual winners of the other categories.
Winner: Anisha Roberts, Apprentice Technician, Williams Jet Tenders (below).
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