Emily, who is currently in the second year of her apprenticeship after completing the first year in 2016, qualified for the award after she won the EEF Midlands ‘First Year Apprentice of the Year’ award in November.

“I was pleased just to reach the final of the Midlands awards, so to win that and then the Nationals too is an incredible feeling,” says Emily.

Organised by manufacturing organisation EEF, the award recognises Intermediate and Advanced level engineering apprentices throughout the country who have performed outstandingly during the first year of their programme, seizing the training and development opportunities that have come their way.

Before attending the Grand Final, Emily, along with numerous apprentices from other companies, travelled to London, where she underwent an interview with a panel of industry experts who asked her questions about the apprenticeship and her experiences on it to date.

“Above all, I hope my winning the award shows that engineering is no longer a male-centric world, but one that women are increasingly entering and excelling in,” continues Emily.                                                                                                              …/

Winning the national-level award caps a golden beginning to Emily’s career at Ishida. Besides her victory in the Midlands ceremony in November – an achievement that also saw her beat-off dozens of competitors in a multi-staged interview process – she was last year nominated for Apprentice of the Year at the PPMA Awards.

Simon Cutler, Learning and Development Manager at Ishida Europe, is not surprised by this latest apprentice’s success: “Emily made such an impression at her interview that I offered her the job straight away. Since then, she has more than justified this decision with a committed, professional approach to all aspects of her programme and a clear passion to succeed.”

As part of the first year of her apprenticeship, which is run in association with EEF, the organisers of the award, Emily has studied for the BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Engineering, achieving a Distinction in every module, and also gained her Performing Engineering Operations (PEO) qualification.

“Not only is Emily a role model for women who want to go into engineering,” continues Simon Cutler, “she is also a role model for how any apprentice should perform. Already she is an excellent ambassador for our company.”

With a strong academic background, Emily could easily have gone to university, but felt her future lay down a more practical path. Her success during her apprenticeship so far clearly vindicates this choice and, after her amazing success at the EEF and PPMA awards, she hopes to go from strength to strength:

“Above all, I want to keep learning and developing outside my comfort zone, in order to broaden my experiences and opportunities.”

The Apprenticeship Scheme at Ishida Europe offers youngsters the chance to learn from some of the best engineers in the industry. Its programme combines industry-recognised training with valuable practical experience and aims to ensure that apprentices emerge not only as expert engineers but also as well-developed individuals.