A second-year apprentice at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry has been named as one of the UK’s top 50 women in engineering.

Melissa Chigubu, who came to the UK from Zimbabwe seven years ago, received her award at a ceremony at the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The 19-year-old, who lives in Abingdon, developed her love of hands-on engineering from watching her uncles in Zimbabwe.

Melissa was the first female to complete the Foundation Gateway course in the AMTC’s new Apprenticeship Engineering Standard programme. She has also been its Apprentice of the Month on three occasions.

Paul Rowlett, managing director of the AMTC (www.the-amtc.co.uk), said: “Melissa is a talented and dedicated learner who strives to excel, demonstrating exceptional skills for her early career stage.

"Our training staff regard her competency portfolio as the best they have ever seen, and this accolade recognises her outstanding performance, professional behaviour and support of other learners.

“She is a strong advocate for women in engineering and in apprenticeships.

“She has been instrumental in activities that aim to encourage women to follow engineering career paths, as well as to increase teacher and parent engagement by breaking down traditional stereotypes.”

The Top 50 Women in Engineering accolade was founded by the Women's Engineering Society in 2016 (and linked to International Women in Engineering Day).

It aims to address the skills shortage in engineering and highlight the discrepancy between men and women entering engineering and manufacturing. The 2019 awards focused on current and former apprentices.