2018 industry awards open for entries

Semta, the engineering skills body, has been running its annual Semta Skills Awards for five years. The 2018 awards – which will be hosted by BBC journalist, presenter and former Young Engineer for Britain, Steph McGovern – are set to take place on Thursday 1^st March at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London. Entries opened on 1^st September 2017 and will remain open until November 30^th.

Since their inception, the awards have grown and more than 500 people attended the 2017 awards ceremony – including well-known senior names from industry and politics.

Semta Group CEO Ann Watson said: “It may be Semta’s name on the programme, but our awards are the engineering sector’s awards – they exist to celebrate the amazing people working to make it a better, happier, more productive and more innovative place.

“I never fail to be inspired by the enthusiasm, dedication and talent of those who go on to win the awards, or by the overall quality of the entries we receive.

“We all know that British engineering is changing the world and solving the biggest challenges of our times, from fossil fuel depletion to making the most of automation – and the awards offer brilliant engineers and companies the opportunity to showcase their contribution to that.”

There are eight award categories ranging from prizes for individual apprentices, higher and degree apprentices, technicians and skills champions to awards for training partners, skills champions and innovators, and companies which champion diversity. There is also a special award for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); in recognition of the vital role SMEs play in economic contribution, job creation and skills investment and development.

An overall Best of British Engineering will then be selected from the eight individual category winners.

Rita Davey, skills programme manager at Jaguar Land Rover – who sponsored the SME Investment in Skills Award this year – said: “The Semta Skills Awards are fantastic for getting national recognition for people and the work they do, but they are particularly useful for smaller businesses that are innovative but don’t get the recognition they deserve.

“That’s why we are delighted to once again sponsor the SME award and why we will certainly be encouraging our suppliers and the other smaller employers we work with to put themselves forward for 2018.”

The 2017 Best of British Engineering award was won by Pippa Dressler-Pearson, an engineering apprentice with Southco Manufacturing – and she is urging people from engineering companies of all shapes and sizes to come forward and make the 2018 awards the biggest and best yet. She said: “Winning the Best of British Engineering award has been an incredible experience and has truly changed my life for the better.

“Since winning I’ve been given a promotion by Southco, I’ve raised my profile and I’ve been given the opportunity to talk to young people about my experiences and inspire them to follow in my path.

“As a female engineer I’m also really proud that winning at the awards means I can be a strong role model for girls and women who want to get on in the sector – it’s not just for boys and I am living proof of that fact.”

http://semta.org.uk/skillsawards.