Sean Gallagher is named ‘BAE Systems Apprentice of the Year’

29-1-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Sean Gallagher, an apprentice from our air and information business at Warton, Lancashire has been named ‘BAE Systems Apprentice of the Year’ at our Company UK Apprenticeship Awards.

The Awards which were held in Manchester, UK, recognise excellence in the workplace, at academic study and in support for the community. We are one of the largest employers of apprentices in the UK with around 1,000 in training at any one time.

Sean who also picked up the ‘community achievement award’, joined our Company in September 2008 and completed his apprenticeship in March 2012. He now works in the Quality Team at Warton.

As team leader for the apprentice team who produced the ‘BedFlex’ technology, designed to help recovering amputees and critical care patients take part in bed-based exercise to aid rehabilitation, Sean won the ‘breakthrough’ category in the nationwide ‘Make it in Great Britain’ Challenge.  Using an innovative attachment, ‘BedFlex’ enables patients to secure resistance tubing to a stable object (such as the bed) without the risk of the elastic slipping or coming undone – a common problem with existing physiotherapy tools which use resistance tubing.

Sean then went on to win the EEF’s Final Year Apprentice Award and The Manufacturer magazine’s Young Manufacturer of the Year title in November 2012 as well as a Gold honour in BAE Systems Chairman’s Awards.

Receiving his award, Sean said: “I’m completely overwhelmed! It’s been such a brilliant year for me and the team who designed BedFlex. I really didn’t expect to win because you are competing against the best of the best across the country. I’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone – it’s a great way to learn and get paid at the same time.”

Alongside the overall winner, a further nine awards were given to apprentices across BAE Systems with Jordan Hunter from Samlesbury, Lancashire winning the Business Administration Award. From the submarines business at Barrow-in-Furness, Alex Holmes won the Craft Mechanical Achievement Award, Joanna Edmondson won the Best Higher Apprentice Award and Sarah Linton won the Craft Electrial Award.

From Rochester in Kent, Simon Beck won the Technical Achievement Award and Steven Costin won the Academic Commitment Award.

From the naval ships business, Shaun Collins from Portsmouth won the Personal Achievement Award. From Glasgow, Mark Anderson won the Fabrication Achievement Award and Lyn Gordon won the Business Achievement Award.

Presenting the Awards, Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director, BAE Systems, said: “The Company is hugely proud of its apprentices who are critical in ensuring we maintain a pipeline of first-class engineering and business talent. I congratulate all of our nominees and award-winners and look forward to hearing more from them as their careers develop.”

Through our Skills 2020 programme, we invest more than £80M per annum in the UK in education and schools activity, university partnerships and training and development for employees including apprentices and graduates. Skills 2020 represents our commitment to ensuring we have the right skills to remain competitive and operate successfully in the UK over the next decade, into 2020 and beyond.

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Sean wins Apprentice of the Year Award