TAC and its employer members are highly regarded for having some of the best apprenticeship programmes in the engineering and consultancy sectors, and interest in the apprenticeship route into employment is rapidly growing.

This year has seen WSP in the UK recruit more apprentices than ever, and saw them host Damien Hinds, Minister of State, to launch the National Apprenticeship Week in March 2019.

On Rate my Apprenticeship, two TAC members, Mott MacDonald and Arup, are listed on the Top 100, with Atkins scoring over 8.3/10 with 100% recommendation from its apprentices. 

So far in 2019, TAC employers and apprentices have been finalists in 14 individual awards in 2019 so far, and we’ve celebrated five winners. The year’s not yet over, and with more awards and nominations yet to be announced, we’re looking forward to further member success.

Nine of our members’ apprentices, from WSP, AECOM, Arup and Atkins made the top 50 in Women In Engineering’s list of top current and former apprentices. Also rewarded for its work with women in STEM was WSP, who were given the Women in Rail award for the Best Graduate or Apprenticeship Programme of the Year.

Eight TAC apprentices have received Excellence Awards in 2019 from training provider, Stegta, representing: 

• WSP for Railway Engineering Design 
• Aecom for Railway Engineering Design 
• Arup for Railway Engineering Design
• TSP for Railway Engineering Design
• Mott MacDonald for Building Services Engineering Design Services 
• Arup for Building Services Engineering Design Services 
• Atkins for Building Services Engineering Design Services 
• Arup for Civil Engineering

Several of our members celebrated remarkable achievements for their collective dedication to apprentices.

Troup Bywaters and Anders was named as SME of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards in late 2018, and were also nominated for the London Employer of the Year award. In June 2019, Waterman Group were named as the Apprentice Employer of the Year at the Southwark Business Excellence Awards.

Receiving industry recognition like this means a lot to firms who put a lot of work into supporting their apprentices, and who develop programmes which bring the very best out of participants.

Waterman's Learning & Development Manager, Nick Harrison commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to win this award. We are delighted to be seen as the leading apprentice employer in Southwark and one that is passionate about contributing to the success of apprenticeships within the community. This is a fantastic reward for the hard work of our excellent apprentices, who will help shape our business over the coming years. It is also a testament to the strong, sustainable relationships we are developing with schools, colleges and universities and other key organisations. We will continue to work with our education partners to progress our successful apprenticeship scheme, helping to shape the careers of the next generation of engineers.”

Peter Brett Associates which was nominated for the Constructing Excellence SECBE Apprenticeship Initiative of the Year award, celebrated a number of successes with one of its TAC apprentices taking home the ICE South West Civil Engineering Apprentice of the Year and another being named as the ICE’s Apprentice of the Year for 2019. An apprentice from TAC member Arup took home the prize for ICE Graduate of the Year, with a fellow TAC peer from AECOM being highly commended in the same category.

The ACE Construction and Engineering Awards 2019 saw WSP awarded the Professional Employer of the Year trophy. A TAC apprentice from Arup was named as Apprentice of the Year, and we’re delighted to say that four out of the six finalists in that category – from AECOM, Arup, Peter Brett and WSP - are TAC members.

TAC members were also highlighted at the CIHT Awards, where two companies – WSP and Atkins, saw their apprentices on the shortlist. The shortlist for 2019 will be announced shortly, so all eyes will be on this year’s finalists.

The next couple of months features a number of industry ceremonies, so well be watching for TAC success at the IET Achievement Awards and the CIBSE Young Engineers Awards in October, and the ICE - New Civil Engineer Graduate and Apprentice Awards the following month. Good luck to everyone who submitted entries.

Waterman's delighted to have won Apprentice Employer of the Year at the #SouthwarkAwards! Nick Harrison, Tahirah Tang-Campbell and Callum Reed on stage accepting the award 2019

Tahirah Tang-Campbell, ​Waterman's apprentice in Structures, has been chosen as the face for the Department of Education’s nation-wide campaign #FireItUp about Apprenticeships. Alongside ​other apprentices from various industries, she will be featuring on buses, billboards, posters, flyers and various websites across the country to promote apprenticeship opportunities. The campaign will also be advertised in cinemas and a full range of channels.

Visit TAC's Hub for the latest apprenticeship advice.