Meg Denham, 23, from Oxfordshire, has been honored with both the Apprentice of the Year (4th year group) and the highly regarded Trustees Award, which is given to the most deserving apprentice across all nominees.
Les Jones, Technical Trainer at Owen Mumford, shared his thoughts on Meg’s impressive drive to learn and her consistent delivery of high-quality work, saying: “Meg completed three NVQs in the time it typically takes to finish one, started her level 4 qualification early, and graduated with distinction. Her NVQ assessor gave her the fitting nickname ‘The Terminator,’ and she received outstanding feedback from every department she worked in. In fact, people were competing for her time!”
After finishing a four-year apprenticeship as a tooling engineer, with assignments at Owen Mumford’s Woodstock and Chipping Norton sites, Meg was quickly promoted to a junior engineer role. The company is now supporting her pursuit of a degree in manufacturing engineering.
Meg said she completed three NVQs instead of just one because she couldn’t decide between them: “Each one seemed interesting and I wanted to find out if I could manage all of them. I’ve always been passionate about engineering, and it’s been fantastic to gain practical, hands-on experience. I’ve especially appreciated seeing how all of Owen Mumford’s departments work together,” she explained. “I was truly happy and surprised to learn that I had won these awards. It’s amazing to have my hard work recognized.”
Owen Mumford’s long-term goal is to bring on 2-4 apprentices each year to help keep a steady flow of talent coming into the company. Les adds, “This program lets us build up our own talent base and help individuals gain a strong understanding of best practices in our industry. Apprentice programs are a vital way to address the industry’s skill shortages. We also encourage women to look into engineering apprenticeships, since they are currently underrepresented. There are other major engineering companies nearby, so it’s important for us to stand out when we’re recruiting local talent.”
Since winning these awards, Meg Denham has also received a high commendation in the Worshipful Company of Horners (Horners) and British Plastics Federation (BPF) Polymer Apprentice of the Year Award 2020.