Cambria celebrates wins at EEF Future Manufacturing Awards

Coleg Cambria apprentice engineers are celebrating following the national finals of the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) Apprentice of the Year Awards 2017.

The Future Manufacturing Awards are all about celebrating success, rewarding change, building partnerships, progressing ideas, developing good practice and investing in people, highlighting manufacturing at its finest

The awards ceremony held recently in Cardiff saw Natasha Hawes, employed by Magellan Aerospace, becoming runner up in Intermediate and Advanced 1st Year, with Georgina Gibb also from Magellan Aerospace winning this category.

Intermediate/Advanced Final Year Award runner up was William Higginson, Magellan Aerospace, and Alex North, also from Magellan Aerospace, was crowned winner.

Higher Level Apprentice Final Year Winner was James Smith Williams, employed by SCA, with Rhys Allen from JCB Transmissions as runner up.

Business Apprentice Award – 1st Year winner was Daniel Penlington from JCB Transmissions.

Award winner Georgina Gibb said: “The achievement of winning the EEF 1st Year Apprentice Award for Wales has only further inspired me to pursue my career with a harder passion and mindset in order to be the best I can be and to inspire the younger generation.

“I am looking forward to the whole experience of competing against the other regions and meeting the next generation of engineers as we all start our journey together.

“Above all I am thankful for the opportunity the EEF awards has presented me with and appreciate all the help and support I have received so far during my college life and apprenticeship.”

Coleg Cambria’s Deputy Director for Curriculum for Engineering, Salah Berdouk said: “The engineering team at the college is so proud of what these talented apprentices have achieved.

“They had to showcase their achievements and technical knowledge to an expert panel of judges and reached into their rich and meaningful life experiences, whether it was at work, in college or in their personal life.

“They came out of it with these wonderful awards and the judges, as well as us all, have been humbled by what they have accomplished. We feel privileged at Coleg Cambria to have had the pleasure of working with them and help shape the next generation of engineers!”

All four of the main EEF apprentice awards came back to North Wales industries and all will now be attending London on the UK stage.