We would like to Congratulate Waseem who is employed by AECOM in Birmingham, as he has been awarded a STEGTA Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in Railway Engineering Design.
We asked Waseem how he felt about winning the award.
“I have always had an interest into engineering as without an engineer everything we see today wouldn’t exist.

Going from a student and entering into professional industry takes time to adjust to but at every point my employer always provided me with support through assigning me a mentor and having regular catch ups with my line manager. My STEGTA Training Officer Helen Wilson thoroughly explained to me the requirements of my Apprenticeship such as the NVQ Level 3 that I had to complete and my end point assessment with the IET. Helen went the extra mile to help me complete my NVQ and Apprenticeship in record time and without Helen I couldn’t have achieved what I have so far.

One of the projects that were my greatest achievement was the design of a new station in which I was responsible for the drawing content and coordination of the design. I was given the responsibility of formulating systems designs and was left to my own devices with feedback from senior engineers. This was a proud moment as I had inputted into a design based on the knowledge I had picked up.

Currently I am undertaking a HNC in electrical engineering and my aim is to complete a degree in electrical engineering at AECOM. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Helen, my employer and the STEGTA staff for putting me forward for the interview that was the start of it all”.

Waseem’s Training Officer – Helen Wilson commented:

“Waseem has worked tirelessly to complete his apprenticeship in record time. He is helping newer apprentices by becoming their mentor and able to pass on his skills and knowledge gained in the last 18 months. He has presented to schools always puts work before anything else. His communication is faultless and he is always on hand to go over above with helping other apprentices at AECOM.

Waseem’s Line Manager, Kevin Goode of AECOM also commented: Waseem’s progress has been outstanding. It’s a credit to his attitude and professionalism that he has completed his Apprenticeship in record time. In the office, he approaches the tasks given to him with enthusiasm and shows his respect and appreciation for the mentorship he receives. Waseem’s career is at an early stage, however we at AECOM are already convinced that he will develop into an outstanding all-round engineer with a bright future to look forward to”.

We would like to Congratulate David who is employed by Oliver Valves in Cheshire, as he has been awarded a STEGTA Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in STEGTA Training Centre. We asked David how he felt about winning the award.

“I am extremely proud to be awarded a STEGTA Excellence Award. I entered engineering through my current employer Oliver Valves 10 years ago. I have been given great opportunities which have enabled me to progress my way up from shop floor operative to Research and Development Works Manager. The career I have in engineering is enjoyable mainly because of the day to day variations in tasks and the job satisfaction through problem solving and providing solutions.

The training I have received through STEGTA has allowed me to grow my hand skills and branch out from my desk activities into the shop floor and machine shop environments with a high level of confidence and the relevant skills. The support at STEGTA Training Centre was brilliant and provided a high level of learning in a laid back working environment which is perfect when training. Support from Eddie and Dave in particular was outstanding.

I am currently finishing off the remaining areas of my advanced apprenticeship, those being BTEC Level 3 in engineering and NVQ level 3 in Technical Services. As I’m an older student and father time management is crucial in staying on top of the additional work that comes with qualifications, Rob has provided great support across these subjects and allowed me to get ahead and stay ahead.

I hope to complete my HNC in future but taking one step at a time I’m focused on completing my BTEC with the highest grade I can achieve”.

David’s Training Officer – Robert Stratford commented:

“Dave is a mature student that has always been willing to continuously develop and improve his skills.

At every progress review Dave has finished the work to the highest of standards and is always looking to see if he could finish other tasks earlier.

Whilst undertaking Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths, English and ICT, Dave was a pleasure to teach and initially he was anxious that he would not pass. However, he worked extremely hard to achieve and passed with flying colours.

STEGTA Training Instructors were very impressed with his attitude and ability, he finished all his Turning and Milling units early and to a very high standard and went on to make a puzzle as part of a ‘stretch and challenge’ task on the Milling machine.

Dave is always willing to listen and take on board any advice tips you could give him and it was a pleasure to have him in our Training Centre”.

We would like to Congratulate Daniela who is employed by ARUP in Manchester, as she has been awarded a STEGTA Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in Civil Engineering. We asked Daniela how she felt about winning the award.

“I chose a career as an Apprentice in engineering because I had always been interested in more technical subjects. Engineering apprenticeships offered real working experience alongside higher qualifications and opportunities to progress further throughout my career.

I have been supported by my whole team at Arup; from the engineers teaching me the principles behind their designs, to my Line Manager showing me how to successfully produce and issue structural engineering drawing packages for building projects.

Emile, my STEGTA Training Officer, supported me throughout the NVQ by explaining what is expected for a successful portfolio. He made regular visits to ensure that I was on target to complete my NVQ.

I have worked on a series of significant Buildings Projects in the North West of England. To pick one, I worked on the Manchester Metropolitan University Arts and Humanities building project. I was made responsible for tracking the status and completion of comments for the full package of Structural Engineering Design Drawings for this building. I ensured that I regularly communicated with my manager and team of Engineers to ensure that all outstanding issues were resolved in the 3D BIM Model and presented legibly on our drawings.

Because of my achievements through work I was awarded on the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2019 list and I was also Top 10 for Apprentice of the Year at the Target Jobs Awards 2019.

I have completed my BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment and my NVQ in Civil Engineering for Technicians. I aim to get my End Point Assessment Passed ready to progress on to a Degree Apprenticeship with Arup. This will consist of a BEng in Civil Engineering”.

Daniela’s Training Officer – Emile Katona commented:

“Daniela is a self motivated Apprentice who works hard to continuously try and develop her skills and acquire further knowledge. She has performed extremely well at College and has met all deadlines with her portfolio producing some fantastic work. It has been a pleasure to support Daniela with her Level 3 Apprenticeship and I’m sure she has a bright future ahead of her”

We would like to Congratulate Daniel Barber who is employed by ARUP in Manchester, as he has been awarded a STEGTA Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in Building Services Engineering.

We asked Daniel how he felt about winning the award.

“I’ve always been interested in buildings and engineering in general. My interest in Maths and Science at school also pushed me towards the career path of an engineer.

Throughout my Level 3 Apprenticeship, the support I have received from the engineers at Arup has been amazing and I am very grateful for all their effort towards helping me to achieve my goals.

The support provided by STEGTA has also been very reassuring when working towards completing my NVQ with some really constructive feedback from my Training Officer Tim Harding.

The Manchester Engineering Campus Development for The University of Manchester is one of my favourite projects. Not only is it on our door step, but was the first project I worked on during my Apprenticeship.

Throughout this project I was in charge of modelling and coordinating all the services independently within one of the four buildings on the campus. I really enjoyed taking responsibility for such an important task.

I am now working towards BEng Building Services Engineering at Liverpool John Moores University and the progression onto the Degree Apprenticeship has been a massive jump! However, the team at Arup have assisted me through this difficult transition, motivating me to work harder. I am enjoying this next step in my career and look forward to the future”.

Daniel’s Training Officer – Tim Harding commented “Dan has been an excellent Apprentice and it has been a pleasure to support him throughout his Apprenticeship journey.

Dan’s work has always been of a very high standard and he continuously met the deadlines set. He has proved he is a valuable member of his team and he has been involved in some great projects.

He has been responsible for producing an Apprentice Newsletter for ARUP as well as being involved with inductions for new Apprentices.

I wish Dan every success for the future and with his further studies on to a Degree Apprenticeship”.