Nominees announced for Skills Awards 2020

The SME Apprentice of the Year Award

The best apprentice from a business of under 250 people. They should be an example of the opportunities apprenticeships can open and demonstrate excellent manufacturing and/or engineering skills, that have a real impact on their employer’s business.

Finalists

• Davina Kaur (MTC Training)
• Jonathan Keating (Oldham Engineering Group Training Association)
• Sadie Kennedy (Hyde Group Ltd)
• Kerrie-Jo O’Flynn (Oxford Space Systems)

The Large Employer Apprentice of the Year Award

The best apprentice from a business of over 250 people. They should be an example of the opportunities apprenticeships can open and demonstrate excellent manufacturing and/or engineering skills, that have a real impact on their employer’s business.

Finalists

• Matthew Booth (AMRC Cymru / Wales)
• Raisa Matadar (Jaguar Land Rover)
• Alexander Moody (Siemens Mobility Ltd)
• Samuel Thomas Garner (Perkins Engines Company Ltd)

The Graduate or Degree Apprentice of the Year Award

The best graduate or degree apprentice. They should be an example of the opportunities apprenticeships can open and demonstrate excellent manufacturing and/or engineering skills that have a real impact on their employer’s business.

Finalists

• Anesu Chivenga (Rolls-Royce)
• Jake Duthie (Themis at Burnley College)
• Michael Jones (Bridgwater & Taunton College)
• Catherine Llewellyn-Jones (Airbus)

The Skills Champion of the Year Award

An individual who has made a significant contribution to the development of manufacturing and/or engineering skills in the UK. Their impact on a business, local or national level, should demonstrate their passion for developing engineering skills that change lives, the sector or the world.

Finalists

• Anita Davenport-Brooks (Lander Automotive Ltd)
• Philip Long (Babcock)
• Jason Phin (Siemens)

The Skills Collaboration of the Year Award

Two or more organisations who collaborate to make a significant contribution to the development of manufacturing and/or engineering skills in the UK. Their impact on a business, local or national level should demonstrate their passion for developing engineering skills that change lives, the sector or the world.

Finalists

• Jaguar Land Rover
• Langley and Dudley College
• Newport Wafer Fab/Smart Solutions

The SME Investment in Skills Award

A business of under 250 people which has made a significant and/or innovative investment in manufacturing and/or engineering skills. Their investment should demonstrate their passion for developing engineering skills that change lives, the sector or the world.

Finalists

• East Coast College
• Lindhurst Engineering
• PM Training & Assessing Ltd

The Training Partner of the Year Award

A training partner which has made a significant and/or innovative contribution to developing manufacturing and/or engineering skills. Its work should demonstrate its passion for developing engineering skills that change lives, the sector or the world.

Finalists

• University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre
• JTL
• Skillnet

The Diversity in Engineering Award

An individual or organisation who has made a significant contribution to diversity in the manufacturing and engineering sector in the UK. Their impact on a business, local or national level, should demonstrate their belief in diversity as a competitive advantage.

Finalists

• Bolton College Engineering Team
• InterEngineering
• STEM Returners

The Connect Places Innovation Award

An individual engineer who is making a significant contribution towards the challenge of making society more connected physically, digitally or socially. They can come from any size of business, but their work should demonstrate the potential scale of their innovation, both commercially and in terms of impact.Their technology might touch on smart cities, the internet of things, the future of mobility, digital transport or any other area related to better connected places.

Finalists

• Professor Harald Haas (Pure LiFi)
• James Johnston (PICLO)
• Maya Pindeus (Humanising Autonomy)

The Manufacturing and Materials Innovation Award

An individual engineer who is making a significant contribution towards the future of manufacturing and valuable materials. They can come from any size of business, but their work should demonstrate the potential scale of their innovation, both commercially and in terms of impact. Their technology might touch on digital ways to increase productivity, systems flexibility, resource efficiency or any other area related to manufacturing and materials.

Finalists

• Lloyd Ash (Ashwoods Electric Motors Limited)
• Benjamina Bollag (Higher Steaks)
• Patrick Dodds (Hexigone Inhibitors Ltd)

The Energy Revolution Innovation Award

An individual engineer who is making a significant contribution towards the UK prospering from the energy revolution. They can come from any size of business, but their work should demonstrate the potential scale of their innovation, both commercially and in terms of impact. Their technology might touch on energy storage, smart grid and platforms, renewables, renewable maintenance, carbon reduction and carbon removal technologies or any other area related to the energy revolution.

Finalists

• Miles Franklin (Gravitricity Ltd)
• Dr Sabrina Malpede (Act Blade Ltd)
• Dr Alexander William Faris Reip (Oxford Nanosystems)

The Healthier and Safer World Innovation Award

An individual engineer who is making a significant contribution towards making the world healthier and safer. They can come from any size of business, but their work should demonstrate the potential scale of their innovation, both commercially and in terms of impact. Their technology might touch on robots for a safer world, safety technologies, resilience and climate mitigation, early diagnosis or any other area related to health or safety.

Finalists

• Joel Gibbard (Open Bionics)
• Laurence Kemball-Cook (Pavegen Systems)
• Kevin Lind (Perceptual Robotics)

The Skills Innovation of the Year Award

The technology or organisation who best-used technology to make a significant and innovative contribution to the development of manufacturing and/or engineering skills in the UK. Its work should demonstrate a passion for developing engineering skills that change lives, the sector or the world. The technology used might touch on learner data, the internet of things, online platforms, online content, virtual reality, augmented reality, or other methods of remote and/or immersive learning.

Finalists

• Network Rail Training: The Dynamic Demand Planning Tool
• Signalling Training Mobile Classroom
• Unipres Training Academy

The Best of British Engineering

This award can’t be entered separately, as it will be awarded to one of the brilliant apprentices, champions of skills development or innovative engineers to have won the previous awards. In the last 12 months they will have brought to life everything that makes British engineering great and exactly what will see it continue to be world-leading in the future.