NEWS IN DEPTH
Make UK awards recognise two MTC
apprentices in shortlist
Two female
engineering
apprentices being
trained at the MTC have
reached the regional final
of Make UK’s prestigious
manufacturing awards.
Nineteen-year-old
Davina Kaur is shortlisted
in the North East, Yorkshire
and Humberside finals
of the Apprentice Endeavour Award, while
37-year-old Camila Rey da Rosa is a South
regional finalist in the Engineering Apprentice
Rising Star category.
Kaur’s nomination recognises her
inspirational personal and professional
transformation through her apprenticeship, as well as
noting her commitment to the manufacturing sector as an
ambassador for STEM careers and apprenticeships. Based
in Stokeley, North Yorkshire, the apprentice robot technician
with Labman Automation has already scooped several national
awards including the top accolade of the Best of British
Engineering Award at the 2021 Enginuity Skills Awards.
Kaur joined the MTC’s apprenticeship programme in
September 2018 when she was battling severe mental health
issues, including anxiety and depression. With the support
of the team at MTC Apprenticeships, she has overcome her
challenges and exceeded even her own expectations to become
one of the training provider’s highest performing and most
ambitious learners.
Meanwhile, Rey da Rosa’s nomination celebrates her
contributions to her employer, Amazon, just two years into
her role as a reliability maintenance engineering apprentice
technician at its fulfilment centre in Hemel Hempstead,
alongside her exceptional commitment and tenacious attitude
to her own professional development.
After making the courageous decision to change careers to
pursue her engineering passion in her mid-30s, Brazilian-born
Camila is excelling in her apprenticeship. As well as studying
in her second language, she is the first female technician on
her site and often volunteers to work on pre-shift projects to
maximise her exposure to new skills and techniques from her
mentors.
The nomination also recognises her work to demystify
engineering and encourage more girls and women from all
backgrounds into the sector
through initiatives including
her role as vice-chair of
the Women in Engineering
Society’s (WES) Apprentice
Board.
Both apprentices hope
to use their achievement
as a platform to inspire and
encourage others in the
manufacturing sector.
“I had to get a new set of UK qualifications
just to be eligible to apply for my
apprenticeship, so now I’m here I’m determined
not to waste a single moment!” said Rey da
Rosa. “I want be a role model to inspire people
to follow their passion, and to know that
Labman Automation apprentice
robot technician Davina Kaur,
left, and Camila Rey da Rosa,
Amazon reliability maintenance
engineering apprentice
apprenticeships are an amazing opportunity for people of all
ages and backgrounds.”
Currently completing the final stages of her apprenticeship,
Kaur said: “I’d love to win this award to show people that an
apprenticeship can totally change your life. I hope my story
inspires other people to believe in themselves and follow in my
footsteps to fulfil their potential, especially other women who
might be interested in a career in STEM.”
Both apprentices are trained by MTC Apprenticeships at
the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry. The
independent training provider is a champion of future skills, and
aims to help close the UK’s STEM skills gap by giving new and
existing engineers the expertise the industry needs, both today
and tomorrow.
David Hughes MBE, managing director of MTC
Apprenticeships, said: “We’re committed to supporting our
employer partners to future-proof their workforces with
the next generation of top talent. Davina and Camila are
exemplary apprentices, demonstrating exceptional progress
and determination in their own personal and professional
journeys as well as being fantastic ambassadors for the MTC,
their employers and the manufacturing sector as a whole. The
recognition is well-deserved and we’re extremely proud of
them.”
The annual Make UK Manufacturing Awards highlight
the resilience, determination and ingenuity of the UK’s
manufacturing community. Regional finals were to be held
across the country in October and November, before the overall
winners are announced in January 2022.
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