Five apprentices from global engineering company,
Renishaw, were recognised at the
Gloucestershire Engineering Training (GET) awards held at the end of July. The awards celebrate the training establishment’s highest-achieving apprentices each year, across a wide range of disciplines, such as electronics and maintenance engineering. The event aims to showcase the value of the work that future engineers are doing.
At the ceremony, Ed Barrow (pictured above) picked up three awards, including ‘Best Maintenance Apprentice’, third place in ‘Best Overall Turner’ and ‘Most Improved Apprentice’. Luke Stone was awarded Level 3 Achiever and Liam Bearcroft came second in the Dual Skilled Apprentice award. Amber Toffi was awarded third place in the ‘Best Electronic Apprentice’ and Sam Swann also came third in the ‘Best Maintenance Apprentice’ award.
Lucy Ackland, senior product owner at Renishaw was the guest speaker at the awards. She shared her career story with the apprentices, their employers and parents. She explained how she spotted a newspaper advert about an apprenticeship at Renishaw and applied. She has now worked at Renishaw for over 18 years and, in 2017, was named as one of the UK’s ‘Top 50 Women in Engineering’. In her speech, Lucy also focused on the importance of finding and following a career that people are passionate about and creating the next generation of innovators.
Innovative thinkingSimon Biggs, early careers manager at Renishaw, said: “The diversity in awards highlight the wide range of careers that are open to aspiring apprentices. The five apprentices were nominated by GET college staff for their outstanding effort, academic achievements and innovative thinking during their courses. Having these awards on their CVs will showcase their drive and passion for engineering from the start of their engineering careers.”
Renishaw apprentices attend GET during their first year, where they gain foundational knowledge for future careers, before continuing with their education. GET provides engineering training services around Gloucestershire, helped by its board of directors who are all industry specialists and educational experts. They pass on expertise from years of experience within engineering businesses and working in specialist areas and relevant industries. Renishaw’s Simon Biggs has been on the GET college board of directors for over a year, supporting the education of the next generation of engineers.
Renishaw offers a range of award-winning apprenticeship programmes in engineering, manufacturing, software, IT and embedded electronics engineering. An apprenticeship at Renishaw is an opportunity for entrants to ‘earn while they learn‘, and degree-level apprentices can obtain their university qualifications with no student debt. Further benefits include a competitive salary and an extensive benefits package, with onsite gyms, medical insurance and pension.