Why Babcock is championing the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026

As headline sponsor of the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026, Babcock is helping shine a spotlight on the people and organisations tackling one of the UK's biggest challenges: developing the engineering and manufacturing skills needed for the future.

Ahead of this year's awards, we spoke to Babcock about why celebrating talent matters, the importance of collaboration in addressing skills gaps, and how the organisation is investing in the next generation of engineers and skilled professionals.

What motivated Babcock to become the headline sponsor of the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026?

As Enginuity say, “Engineering & manufacturing skills gaps impact us all. No single organisation can close them alone”. At Babcock, we recognise that building a strong, future-ready engineering workforce is essential to the UK’s prosperity and resilience, and collaboration is central to how we will address skills gaps. By supporting these awards, we’re celebrating the individuals and organisations developing these critical skills, inspiring the next generation, and ensuring we can meet the needs of the future.

Why is it important for organisations like Babcock to support initiatives that celebrate engineering and manufacturing talent?

Supporting initiatives that celebrate engineering and manufacturing talent is important because it helps build a strong, sustainable skills pipeline for the future. Not only does it celebrate people shaping the future of the industry, but it also supports organisations to attract and inspire new, diverse talent, as well as recognise excellence and motivate existing employees. We also appreciate that they encourage collaboration across the industry, which will strengthen skills and capability in the long run.

What does the Enginuity Skills Awards represent to Babcock and the wider industry?

For Babcock, the Enginuity Skills Awards represent a shared commitment to developing the skills our industry depends on. By bringing organisations together to celebrate the impact of skills initiatives, they shine a light on the importance of investing in people by showcasing excellence and demonstrating how we can build a strong, future-ready workforce.

How important is collaboration between employers, training providers and industry bodies in addressing skills gaps?

Collaboration is essential; no single organisation can close the skills gap alone. We need to align employers with training providers to ensure skills development matches real industry demand and develop practical, job-ready training that reflects modern technologies and ways of working. By working together, we can create clear entry routes into engineering careers and attract new and diverse talent. From a practical perspective, collaboration enables industry bodies to coordinate standards and share best practice at scale so that we multiply the effect of what individual organisations are doing for the benefit of whole sectors.

How is Babcock investing in the next generation of engineers and skilled professionals?

Babcock is continually evolving how we attract and develop talent. Over the past 12 months, we have rebranded our Early Careers Programme to Emerging Talent to reflect a broader and more inclusive approach, as talent has no age limit.

We have introduced new Level 2 apprenticeships across England and partnered with academic providers to deliver pre-apprenticeship programmes, creating clearer entry routes into the industry. To support attraction, we have also introduced gamified recruitment approaches to engage and assess candidates in a more accessible way.

Alongside this, we continue to grow our apprentice and graduate intake year on year – we now receive 40 applications for every place and were ranked 19th Top Apprenticeship Employer by the Times this year. We continue to go further by delivering employability and skills programmes that support both individuals and our wider supply chain, strengthening capability across the industry.

What advice would you give to businesses looking to strengthen their own talent pipelines?

A focused, collaborative approach is key to strengthening talent pipelines. This can be achieved through four key areas.

Firstly, by creating clear pathways to attract new people to your sector. This could be through early engagement with schools, developing early careers programmes, or direct entry programmes that are aligned with business demand. Secondly, by broadening and diversifying the talent pools from which you are sourcing candidates, such as by identifying candidates from adjacent industries or emphasising capabilities over credentials.

Thirdly, by aligning skills development within your organisation to emerging technologies and upskilling existing employees to future-proof your business. Finally, by collaborating with other business, local and national government, training providers and academia, so that best practice can be shared and skills gaps can be closed in a strategic manner.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Enginuity Skills Awards?

We are most looking forward to celebrating the achievements of individuals across the industry, from apprentices and graduates to experienced employees. We also value the opportunity to recognise the impactful work of academic institutions and industry working together to help close the skills gaps in engineering and manufacturing. Evenings such as this truly demonstrate the impact of the hard work so many people are putting into unlocking talent for our sectors.

Final countdown

The winners of Enginuity Skills Awards 2026, in partnership with Babcock, will be announced at a spectacular ceremony on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, where we’ll come together at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge to celebrate the people powering the UK’s engineering future.

Discover more about Babcock Explore the Enginuity Skills Awards 2026