BAE Systems Air apprentices Abigail Stansfield, from Clitheroe, and Jake Room, from Preston, have been named among the best apprentices in the UK after Abigail takes home Bronze in CNC Milling and Jake silver in CNC Turning at WorldSkills UK LIVE.
The competition was hosted at the Birmingham NEC after securing their place in the WorldSkills UK Finals after excelling in the National Qualifiers which took place in the summer. With wins under their belts, both Abbie and Jake could be invited to join the training programme for WorldSkills Shanghai 2020.
Abbie Stansfield said, “I’m really happy with what I have achieved and all the hard work has paid off. I can’t wait for the next stages, with the possibility of going to Shanghai in 2021!’”
Nigel Davies, Principal of the Academy for Skills and Knowledge in Samlesbury said: “This is an excellent achievement for Abbie and Jake who have demonstrated outstanding skills and knowledge at WorldSkills UK. We are delighted to see them being acknowledged as some of the best apprentices in the UK. I am sure Abbie and Jake will continue to inspire young people and champion success with their fellow apprentices. Congratulations and well done.”
Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said: “Congratulations to Abbie and Jake for such a fantastic achievement. The competition was fierce and the standards very high. All of your hard work and dedication has been rewarded and we at WorldSkills UK salute you.”
Abbie and first joined BAE Systems in September 2016 and Jake in 2017 on the Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering, one of over 25 award winning early careers programmes offered across its sectors and sites in the UK, at intermediate, advanced, higher and degree level. The business has approximately 2,500 apprentices and graduates in training at any given time and invests more than £90m each year on early careers to ensure a strong pipeline of talent.
WorldSkills UK LIVE is the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeship and careers event. At the heart of the event are the National Finals of the WorldSkills UK Competitions, which are run in 70 different skills across industries including Technology, Engineering and Construction. Over three days, 500 of the UK’s top apprentices and learners took part in the competition.
