Cleveland Bridge UK former apprentice Liam Simpson, 22, has been named one of the top 100 most inspirational people in UK manufacturing.
Liam, from Crook, who recently completed his apprenticeship at the Darlington-based company and is now working in the Quality Department, has been announced as a member of The Manufacturer Top 100 2018.
The listing is run by The Manufacturer magazine, in partnership with Cranfield University, one of the country’s leading centres for business education. Now in its fifth year, it recognises the most dynamic leaders and innovators in manufacturing.
Members of the Top 100 are drawn from every part of UK industry, from top floor to shop floor and Liam takes his places alongside CEOs, industry leaders and experienced engineering professionals.
They are selected from hundreds of nominations for the examples they set to young people aspiring to a career in industry, helping to change perceptions of careers in manufacturing and attract new entrants into the sector.
Liam’s exceptional performance during his apprenticeship at Cleveland Bridge and his subsequent, seamless transition into the company’s workforce helped him stand out to the 15-strong panel of judges.
He recently completed his Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Construction Fabrication Platework and has been a finalist in three national awards in recent months, having also won the Metals Industry Craft Skills Apprentice of the Year in 2017.
Liam Simpson said: “I was very surprised, but really proud to be named in the Top 100. To make the list alongside some far more experienced people is great and shows how important apprenticeships are to the manufacturing industry. I hope that I can help inspire more young people to get into manufacturing and they receive the same support I have had from Cleveland Bridge.”
Chris Droogan, Managing Director of Cleveland Bridge UK, said: “Liam is an excellent example of the quality of apprentices we have at Cleveland Bridge who will be at the heart of our workforce for years to come. Throughout his apprenticeship and now, as he transitions to our become an important member of our team, he has shown tremendous commitment and application and appearing in the Top 100 is a just reward.”
Nick Peters, Editorial Director of The Manufacturer and of The Manufacturer Top 100 report, said: “We are the world’s 9th largest manufacturing nation and careers are very well paid. But there are too few skilled young people coming through the system. It is on behalf of that new generation that we do this. We want to break down the decades-old prejudice against manufacturing. We want parents to get excited about recommending a career in manufacturing to their offspring, not see it, so erroneously, as an occupation of last resort. We must not let the prejudices of yesterday poison the opportunities of tomorrow.”