UWE Bristol named training provider of the year for closing engineering skills gap

UWE Bristol has been named Training Provider Skills Champion of the Year at the Enginuity Skills Awards for its commitment to driving inclusive growth in the engineering industry and closing the skills gap in the West of England.

The awards recognise individuals and organisations who are supporting the next generation of engineering professionals and fostering a culture of innovation, diversity and collaboration in the industry.

The Training Provider Skills Champion award celebrates an organisation with an outstanding commitment to learning and skills development that supports sustainable engineering and manufacturing growth through partnerships between providers and employers.

UWE Bristol has supported over 1,000 engineering and built environment degree apprentices since 2017, with achievement rates up to 100%. Its Women in Industry project addresses skills and diversity gaps by partnering with employers and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths networks, boosting female applicants by 60% in a year.

This includes Women Like Me, a peer mentoring and outreach project dedicated to increase female representation in engineering and construction. Led by Dr Laura Fogg Rogers since 2018, it pairs senior female engineers and property professionals with junior counterparts, fostering mentoring relationships.

The judges recognised that UWE Bristol is working to close the skills gap and make the industry more inclusive through mentoring, outreach and partnerships.

Simon Flenley, Assistant Director of Research & External Engagement at UWE Bristol said: “We are so proud of our apprenticeship programmes, and the opportunities they provide for increasing access and participation and addressing under representation. This award reflects the hard work and dedication from so many people, underpinned by the critical projects that UWE Bristol delivers such as Women Like Me.”