All the winners on the evening were presented with a free membership of the Nuclear Institute.
Above from Left-Right, Kerry Marie Burns (NNL) - Scientific Apprentice of the Year, Emily Lambert (BAE Systems) Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year, Grace Draper (Rolls Royce) UK Nuclear Apprentice of the Year, Lucy Green (Doosan Babcock) Support Apprentice of the Year, Robert Wild (Sellafield) UK Nuclear Graduate of the Year, Samantha McRae (AWE) Maintenance Apprentice of the Year, Jean Llewellyn (NSAN CEO), Jack Bowman (Sellafield) FD/HND Student of the Year, Richard Taffs (NIS Ltd) STEM Ambassador of the Year, Clive Smith (NI) and host Simon Reeve.
The Nuclear Industry held its eighth annual UK Nuclear Skills Awards on the 10th March. During the evening the nuclear stars of the present and future were announced.
The event, organised by The National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) and Cogent Skills, was hosted by TV presenter Simon Reeve and brought the nuclear industry together to celebrate the success and high achievement of learners nominated for awards in Apprentice, Foundation Degree/HND and Graduate disciplines.
The Main Sponsor on the evening was NuGen, a UK nuclear company, and a joint venture between Toshiba and GDF SUEZ. NuGen’s Moorside project aims to develop a new generation nuclear power station of up to 3.4 GW on land in West Cumbria, North West England.
The top award of the evening was the heavily contested UK Nuclear Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by the NDA, which was won by Grace Draper from Rolls Royce Plc, who also won the Design Apprentice of the Year category, which was sponsored by Sellafield Ltd.
Above l-r David Vineall from award sponsor NDA, Grace Draper, and Simon Reeve
Grace completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Technical Engineering and currently works as a Controls Engineer.
During her apprenticeship, Grace was shortlisted for the IET’s Young Woman of the Year. Grace’s apprenticeship has provided her with the opportunity to be involved in STEM promotion and was involved in a week long Rolls-Royce STEM festival at a forestry centre for local schools.
Grace’s employer commented that Grace is a real asset to the team. Grace doesn’t only push herself within the working environment but also works hard to promote apprenticeships.
Tom Samson from the Dinner’s main sponsor, NuGen commented:
“These awards are a fantastic showcase for our industry and I am truly delighted that there was an equal split between male and female finalists and, for the first time, all the winners of the apprentice awards were women. I congratulate all the winners and finalists and I am excited about the calibre of the next generation of people working in the nuclear industry”.
Jean Llewellyn OBE, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear said:
“The UK Nuclear Skills Awards highlights the exceptional quality of people of all levels, who are committed to careers in the nuclear sector.
I would like to personally congratulate all of the winners and finalists, they are all examples of excellence in skills development and I wish them all the very best for the future.
This year we have witnessed a shift in male and female finalists and winners and this is a huge testament to how diversity is improving across the nuclear industry and this will really help address the sector’s skills challenges of the future.”
The UK Nuclear Apprentice of the Year was decided from the winners of the apprentice discipline awards as follows:
Taking the title of Maintenance Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by ECITB, was Samantha McRae from AWE. Samantha completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Mechanical Maintenance and currently works as a Mechanical Practitioner.
Taking the title of Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Doosan Babcock, was Emily Lambert from BAE Systems. Emily completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Marine Engineering and currently works as an Electrical Production Charge Hand.
The Scientific Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by the University of Cumbria, was awarded to Kerry Marie Burns from NNL. Kerry is an Advanced Scientific Apprentice and currently works in the laboratory.
Taking the title of Support Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by eOrigen, was Lucy Green from Doosan Babcock. Lucy has completed an apprenticeship in Project Control and currently works as a Planning Engineer.
The FD/HND Student of the Year, sponsored by Horizon Nuclear Power, was awarded to Jack Bowman from Sellafield Ltd. Jack completed a Foundation Degree in Nuclear Related Technology (Science and Process) and currently works in Technical Support.
Taking the title of Higher Apprentice of the Year, which was sponsored by Areva UK was Stanley Readyhoof from Rolls Royce. Stanley completed a Higher Apprenticeship in Manufacturing and currently works as a Manufacturing Engineer.
Taking the title of UK Nuclear Graduate of the Year, sponsored by Atkins, was Robert Wild from Sellafield Ltd. Robert completed a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and now works as a Graduate Mechanical Engineer.
The winner of the STEM Ambassador Award, sponsored by BAE Systems, was Richard Taffs from NIS Ltd. Richard has been heavily involved in STEM activities since 2010.