Enginuity Skills Awards

There were nine awards in total on the night, with the winners of each automatically nominated for the overall Best in British Engineering accolade.

This award was won by Tom Brookes, managing director of Zzeus Ltd, a Lincoln-based specialist fire alarm technician training centre.

Mr Brookes said he was inspired to make a difference after seeing what happened at Grenfell Tower. He said the impact of the 2017 fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people, had left a lasting impact on him and made him want to do his ‘small bit’ to ensure what happened that day was never repeated.

Visit our blog to hear more from Tom.

The SME Apprentice of the Year award was won by:
James Ashly of Gloucestershire Engineering Training

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Ben Wright of Tribosonics
• Will Morton of Tribosonics

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises an Apprentice within an organisation (up to 250 employees in size) that has overcome challenges, barriers or exceptional circumstances to continue or complete a recognised engineering or advanced manufacturing apprenticeship framework.

• Up to 250 Employees
• Be currently undertaking an apprenticeship at any level or have completed their apprenticeship within the last 24 months (since 1 Sept 2019)
• Provide evidence of qualifications gained and/or aiming towards
• Demonstrate your commitment to working with an employer and study

The Skills Innovation of the Year award was won by:
Autolive by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and Coventry University Enterprises

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Bethany Cobb of Burnley College
• Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises an individual or an organisation that has taken a new, novel and innovative approach to skills. This could be at any part of the skills value chain, employee life cycle or have developed a new skill offering that pushed the STEM agenda forward and helps to reduce skills gaps.

• Demonstrate overall method and development of the concept and opportunity
• Evidence how the offering is different and whether it has distinct, game changing advantages over any alternatives
• Evidence the immediate and longer term impact the innovation has on the sector and society as a whole

The SME Investment in Skills award was won by:
Dan Richardson of Tribosonics

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Ean Daniel of MetalCraft
• Mark Bower of Legal and General Modular Homes

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises an individual or organisation, within an SME supply chain company, that has invested in skills development within their organisation, a local community or across a sector to shift the balance on skill attainment within STEM-related careers and skillsets.

• Up to 250 Employees
• Demonstrate commitment to skills development within an organisation, a local community or across the sector
• Financial support of skills development

The Skills Champion of the Year award was won by:
Tom Brookes of ZZEUS Ltd

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Steve Owen of Baxi Heating
• The QinetiQ Academy Team of QinetiQ

We congratulate all those involved!

Organisations rely on the skills and capabilities of their staff to deliver and delight their customers. This award recognises those that are investing in the long-term development of their existing workforce through lifelong learning and actively seeking to bring new skill sets into the sector while demonstrating the value that this brings.

• Providing opportunities for employee advancement through training, mentoring and continuous education programs
• Evidence of customer delight and value add
• Demonstrate the level of flexibility in scheduling to allow employees to attend training and development programs and events
• Financial support of employee training

The Training Partner of the Year award was won by:
In-Comm Training

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• SETA Training & Advisory Services Ltd
• The Faraday Centre Ltd

We congratulate all those involved!

Colleges, training providers, schools and universities are key partners for employers in developing the skills needed both for the existing and future workforce. This award recognises organisations that demonstrate how they make a significant or innovative contribution to developing manufacturing and engineering skills; in particular demonstrating a passion for developing engineering skills that ‘change lives, the sector or the world’.

• Show how your organisation effectively works with employers to offer quality training courses.
• Demonstrate ways in which learners/apprentices can gain qualifications and develop skills through the schemes that you offer.
• Entries should include testimonials from learners/apprentices or employers that have used your services.

The Large Employer Apprentice of the Year award was won by:
Josh Tee of MTC Apprenticeships

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Christopher Robinson of Science and Technology Facilities Council as part of UK Research and Innovation
• Lisa Curtis of AWE plc

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises outstanding commitment to apprentices and apprenticeships within an organisation. It is open to employers with more than 250 employees who have put apprenticeships at the heart of their business and reaped the benefits.

• Over 250 Employees
• Be currently undertaking an apprenticeship at any level or have completed their apprenticeship within the last 24 months (since 1 Sept 2019)
• Provide evidence of qualifications gained and/or aiming towards
• Demonstrate your commitment to working with an employer and study

The Graduate or Degree Apprentice of the Year award was won by:
Ryan Yates of BAE Systems

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Sam Cotton of Pektron Group Limited
• Ross Brooks of BAE Systems

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises the inspirational journeys of the talent entering our sector and showcases the outstanding commitment, innovative thinking and skills of graduate or degree apprentice engineers, and their employers who have committed to developing talent.

• Be currently undertaking a Graduate or Degree apprenticeship or have completed their apprenticeship within the last 24 months (since 1 Sept 2019)
• Evidence of outstanding commitment, innovative thinking and skills
• Evidence how they have gone above and beyond what was expected in their apprenticeship
• Demonstrate how they plan to contribute to the sector in the coming years

The Diversity in Engineering award was won by:
Professor Lisa Brodie of The University of West England, Bristol

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Dr Mark McBride-Wright/Equal Engineers
• Embrace Airbus Team of Airbus

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises organisations, individuals or a team that has delivered a specific scheme, project, or initiative, that significantly contributes to shifting the dial of equality, diversity, and inclusion within our sector.

• Evidence impact of shifting the dial of equality, diversity and inclusion through the initiative delivered
• Demonstrates doing things differently by incorporating D&I values and behaviours in the way that they work which results in a positive impact on organisational/sector culture
• Demonstrates that the initiative or new practice(s) leave a lasting legacy

The Digital Innovation of the Year award was won by:
The EDT (Engineering Development Trust)

The shortlisted submissions for this category also included:

• Mac Alonge of The Equal Group
• Mark York of Tablet Academy Ltd

We congratulate all those involved!

This award recognises organisations, companies, individuals or teams who have pioneered significant acceleration of adoption and the best use of digital and technology to thrive in the current climate.

• Demonstrate how this presents a visionary approach or innovative concept to address a specific need or issue
• Evidence of successful outcomes of digital innovation delivery which thrived in the current climate
• Demonstrate application of research and development findings
• Evidence plans to further build on this innovation to offer continual improvement