Author Archives: HM Government

His Royal Highness, a longstanding advocate of apprenticeships and getting more young people in to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subject areas, presented the awards at a ceremony which took place in MOD Main Building. His Royal Highness also announced the winner of this year’s MOD Apprentice of the Year in the Memorial Courtyard.

Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin said:

We are committed to investing in and celebrating the next generation of engineers, to grow our future workforce and capability in STEM far into the future.

I am delighted to see the impact our engineering apprentices have on our equipment programmes. Over 800 apprentices worked on the QE Class Carriers, and should feel a great sense of achievement today as HMS Queen Elizabeth is commissioned into Her Majesty’s fleet.

Defence is the largest employer of apprentices in the UK, with 9,000 engineering apprenticeships, and a total of 20,000 apprenticeships across a range of defence disciplines. Apprenticeships are a crucial way to develop the skills required by employers and to provide people, from all backgrounds, with the opportunity to obtain skills that will contribute to their achievement in the workplace.

Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said:

Today’s winners should be very proud of their achievements, and the impressive skills they have developed through their apprenticeships.

The MOD is the largest employer of apprentices in the UK, supporting the Government’s commitment to achieve three million apprenticeship starts by 2020 through our range of civilian and Armed Forces schemes.

In recognition of HRH’s attendance at the MOD Engineering Apprentice Awards, the inaugural presentation of ‘His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’s Award for Services to Defence Engineering’ was made. This was awarded to Chief Technician Rob Bates, who joined the RAF in 1995 as a Mechanical Technician Apprentice and was recognised for representing engineering within Defence by exemplary professional performance and selfless commitment to promotion of engineering as a career.

Chief Technician Rob Bates, winner of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Award for Services to Defence Engineering Award, said:

Today has been the stand out moment of my life so far. I enjoy my work and I am humbled to be recognised for it.

Defence apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to work at the heart of some of the most important projects in the UK. Over 800 apprentices have been involved in the QE Class Carrier project, delivering HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was commissioned in Portsmouth today, and HMS Prince of Wales.

DE&S Apprentice Champion Air Marshall Julian Young said:

We in DE&S are proud of our long tradition of training the next generation of MOD Apprentices through our innovative schemes.

This strong pipeline of highly-skilled talent, who are among the brightest and the best, are central to the delivery of essential equipment and support programmes for the UK’s Armed Forces. I offer my sincerest congratulations to all today’s winners and runners up on their sterling achievements.

Each MOD engineering apprenticeship lasts three years and, after qualifying, most apprentices go on to employment across defence.

The MOD is also offering a range of apprenticeship schemes internally to existing staff in order to invest in our workforce, by providing staff with the right training opportunities to help them develop and increase their skills, gain valuable experience and achieve a recognised qualification.

The families and guests, representatives from senior management of participating business units, representatives from competition sponsors, awarding bodies, educational establishments, and local government officials attended the ceremony alongside the apprentices.

You can find out more about apprenticeships with defence here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-opportunities-in-the-ministry-of-defence

List of winners

The full list of winners and their awards are as follows:

His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales Award for Services to Defence Engineering

· Winner: Chief Technician Rob Bates

Apprentice of the Year 2017

· Winner: Matt Schofield

The Tom Nevard Memorial Competition

Phase 1 – Individual Design and Manufacturing

· Winner: Sarah Hughes (DE&S Devonport)

· Runner-up: Thomas Baker (DSTL)

Phase 2 – Individual Design and Manufacturing

· Winner: Thomas Diaper-Fox (DSTL)

· Runner-up: Chloe Garland (DE&S Abbey Wood)

Team Design and Manufacturing Event

· Winners: James Wiltshire (Phase 3, DE&S Abbey Wood), David Thomson (Phase 3, DM Beith), Will Robinson (Phase 2, DSTL), Kieran Stainer (Phase 2, DE&S Abbey Wood), Chloe Stephens (Phase 1, DE&S Abbey Wood).

· Joint runner-up: Ashley Conlon (Phase 3, DE&S Abbey Wood), Zachary Hall (Phase 3, DSTL), Ashley Biginton (Phase 2, DM Gosport), Thomas Hill (Phase 2, DE&S Abbey Wood), Chris Nowell-Smith (Phase 1, DE&S Devonport).

· Joint Runner-up: Ewan Walker (Phase 3, DSTL), Joseph Samways (Phase 3, DM Gosport), Stacey Bishop (Phase 2, DE&S Devonport), Hewlett (Phase 2, DE&S Abbey Wood), Oliver Nicholas (Phase 1, DE&S Abbey Wood).

Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation Medal

· Winner: Luke Worrall (DM Gosport)

QinetiQ Awards

First Year Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering Apprentice of the Year

· Winner: Oliver Kemp (DSTL)

First Year Electrical Engineering Apprentice of the Year

· Winner: George Sweeney (DSTL)

First Year Electrical Engineering Apprentice of the Year

· Winner: Cameron Fitze (DSTL)

IET Local Network Award for Student Excellence

· Winner: Zachary Hall (DSTL, Southern Region)

East Kilbride Group Training Association – Chairman’s Award 2017

· Winner: Sam Rennix (DM Beith)

Glasgow and Clyde Campus Apprentice of the Year 2017

· Winner: Russel Vincent (DM Beith)

DIO Sustainability Recycling Challenge

· Winner: Declan Heard (Phase 1, DE&S Devonport), Lawrence Parker (Phase 1, DE&S Devonport), Sarah Hughes (Phase 1, DE&S Devonport), Chris Nowell-Smith (Phase 1, DE&S Devonport)

Babcock Land Division Excellence Awards Apprentice of the Year

· Winner: Joe Sayce (Babcock DSG Donnington)

· Winner: Sarah Malkin (Babcock DSG Donnington)

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More than 30 MPs have pledged their support for a national campaign to get more young people into engineering, joining government and industry in a united effort to tackle a major skills gap.

The Year of Engineering, which launches in January (2018), will see government work with hundreds of industry partners to raise the profile of engineering among young people aged 7 to 16, their parents and their teachers. This will include offering at least a million direct experiences of engineering to young people from all backgrounds – from behind the scenes tours and family days out, to school visits and the chance to meet engineering role models.

At an event in Parliament yesterday, (6 December 2017), MPs from across the UK committed to supporting the campaign in their constituencies. Pledges included connecting schools with local engineering employers and encouraging businesses to take part in open doors events for schools and families.

Minister for the Year of Engineering and Transport Skills Minister John Hayes said:

If we are going to create a country fit to meet all new challenges, we need to train the next generation of highly-skilled British workers.

Engineering and all it brings is at the heart of economic success and provides exciting opportunities of fulfilling careers through skills that will shape all our futures, but for too many employers a lack of skilled engineers is limiting growth. That’s why I am delighted to see so many of my colleagues determined to promote engineering. Their determination and dedication, enthusiasm and engagement will help to make the year of engineering not only a year-long campaign but a lifelong success.

Now, huge opportunities exist as the government’s strategic investment in infrastructure bears fruit. New skills, new jobs and new prospects will turn vision to reality, if we show young people, their parents and their teachers what engineering can mean: a career in engineering offers creativity, variety, the chance to innovate and so make a real difference.

HMG Envoy for the Year of Engineering Stephen Metcalfe MP said:

The value of engineering skills is frequently underestimated, outdated perceptions of the profession are still widespread, and the industry continues to suffer from a lack of diversity in its workforce.

The Year of Engineering aims to tackle these challenges, so it’s vital that the campaign is championed across government, parliament and industry.

We know how much enthusiasm there is in all parts of the profession to encourage engineers of the future. We want this campaign to unite those ambitions, and I welcome these pledges of support from my fellow MPs which will be vital in helping to drive this across the country.

The event was jointly hosted by government and the Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET), marking the publication of its annual Skills Survey report – which looks at the skills challenges faced by engineering and technology employers in the UK.

Nigel Fine, IET Chief Executive, said:

The IET 2017 Engineering and Technology Skills Survey highlights a buoyant sector with high value jobs being created. In order to deliver on the skills challenge we must ensure we have enough people with the practical and technical skills required by industry, and recruit widely from a diverse pool of potential talent, bringing in all sections of society.

The cross-government Year of Engineering campaign will be an ideal way of celebrating the amazing contribution that engineering makes to society, and encourage young people to join the profession. The IET is delighted to be supporting the campaign to highlight the exciting, creative and rewarding world of engineering.

Hundreds of partners have signed up to support the Year of Engineering, including Siemens, the Science Museum Group, Ocado, Usborne, BAE Systems and Crossrail. Teaming up with partners from many different sectors, the government will deliver a year of UK-wide school visits, exhibitions and open doors events – all aimed at encouraging young people and their parents to take a closer look at engineering.

To find out more, visit the Year of Engineering partner website or follow the campaign on Twitter.

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I welcome this session. The international community cannot ignore the desperate plight of the Rohingya muslims. I thank the Bangladesh government for ensuring that refugees receive urgent aid. I am also pleased that the UK has contributed £59 million in support.

The UK is committed to working with international partners to resolve the situation in Rakhine. At September’s Council I called on Burmese security forces to stop committing human rights violations against the Rohingya. Today’s session, together with the overwhelming vote in favour of the OIC-led resolution in the Third Committee and the United Nations – which the UK co-sponsored – reflects growing international outrage at these despicable atrocities.

I welcome the UN Security Council’s adoption of the first Presidential Statement on Burma for ten years. This significant step sent a clear message: international pressure will not relent until the state authorities act to enable refugees to return to Rakhine voluntarily, with dignity and, importantly, in safety.

The authorities must grant full humanitarian access to Northern Rakhine so that affected communities can receive vital assistance. They must also cooperate fully with the UN’s human rights system, including the Independent Fact Finding Mission established by this very Council.

The UK believes that supporting the civilian government is the best way to ensure fair treatment for the Rohingya and respect for human rights. UK Ministers have urged Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of the civilian government to take the necessary steps.

Mr President, as the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict I want to draw particular attention to the harrowing reports of rape, sexual abuse and brutality from refugees in Cox’s Bazaar, indeed as we heard directly from Special Representative Patten who described this in graphic terms.

Last month, the Head of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative joined Ms Patten’s visit to the refugee camps, and heard appalling accounts from survivors.

We have since deployed two civilian experts to Bangladesh. They will make recommendations to the UK government on further support to survivors of sexual violence, including support for the investigation and documentation of these abhorrent crimes.

Today’s Special Session demonstrates the strength of international feeling about the situation facing the Rohingya community. This current crisis was precipitated by long-standing inequality between communities in Rakhine. The state authorities must act swiftly, not only to address this inequality but also to relieve the suffering of the Rohingya and restore security to enable them to return with dignity and in safety and allow them to rebuild their lives.

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This Notice was issued to VetUK Ltd for placing on the market unauthorised products presented for the treatment of joint disorders and as a veterinary wormer contrary to Regulation 4 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR). The improvements requ… read more

Transport Minister John Hayes visited Reaction Engines today (7 December 2017) to meet engineers, graduates and apprentices working on cutting-edge technology that will enable the UK to compete in the global space market.

Touring the innovative engineering company in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, the minister was shown the site’s advanced manufacturing facilities.

Supported by a £60 million funding commitment from the UK government via the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, Reaction Engines are partnering with UK aerospace suppliers to deliver a prototype engine over the next few years.

During the visit, John Hayes met apprentices on the company’s 4 year Level 3 Advanced Apprentice scheme, as well as Reaction Engines’ first intake of graduates, who have been working alongside design engineers since September 2017.

The Space Industry Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will ensure businesses like Reaction Engines can take advantage of new markets, boosting the economy and creating new jobs.

Providing the framework for commercial launch and sub-orbital flight operations, the legislation will include regulations that are flexible to respond to emerging technologies. The aim is to position the UK as a market that appeals to investors and attracts the finest talent.

The minister was briefed on SABRE (Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine) and the exciting heat exchanger technology which significantly reduces engine temperatures associated with high-speed flight, potentially unlocking future high speed air transport and space flights.

SABRE – Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine – is a new class of engine for powering both high speed aircraft and spacecraft, enabling flight over 5 times the speed of sound in the atmosphere. The technology could enable space launch vehicles to be built that will radically improve the affordability and responsiveness of access to space.

Alongside their SABRE development Programme, Reaction Engines has developed world-leading capabilities in advanced manufacturing and offers a unique range of services from propulsion systems to advanced heat exchanger design.

Minister of State for Transport, John Hayes said:

It is tremendous to see the ingenuity and significant breakthroughs in aerospace technologies being made by Reaction Engines here in the UK.

Increasing our space capabilities will create jobs and career opportunities for young people looking to go into science, technology, engineering and maths.

With the UK’s space sector worth £13.7 billion and ambitions to grow our share of the global market by 10%, the Space Industry Bill will ensure we achieve this goal and continue to be one of the forerunners in the new space age.

Mark Thomas, Chief Executive Officer at Reaction Engines said:

I am delighted that the Right Honourable John Hayes MP chose to visit Reaction Engines today to take a closer look at our technology and to meet with our brilliant apprentices and graduates.

Being at the forefront of next generation aerospace propulsion we have a great opportunity to inspire, develop and excite young engineers and scientists who I am sure will go on to make a difference in the world. We are proud of our achievements to date, have benefited from the support of the UK government and we look forward to taking part in the ‘Year of Engineering’ celebrations in 2018, which will showcase the best of UK engineering and innovation.

Reaction Engines is enthused by the recent Spaceflight Bill and Industrial Strategy, which will unlock further opportunities and growth in a thriving UK space sector”.

John Hayes was making his first visit to the company, which is a pioneer in hypersonic and space access propulsion. Meeting the company’s senior executives, the minister was able to listen to the views of those at the frontline of the space sector and understand how they will look to capture the opportunities that the Space Industry Bill will provide.

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