Aldermaston: AWE welcomes its largest intake of female apprentices

AWE has welcomed an increase in the number of female apprentices joining the prestigious AWE Skills Academy.

The number of women joining the scheme has almost doubled since the 2013 intake, and AWE's total number of female apprentices has increased from 5% to 15%.

Credited for this increase are specific events such as the Girls in Engineering Challenge which took place in March and saw over a hundred girls from local schools taking part in engineering challenges. The event was hosted by AWE apprentices and aimed to inspire young women into careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

This year 45 apprentices in total have joined AWE undertaking a variety of apprenticeships, such as mechanical maintenance, precision machinist, instrumentation, electrical maintenance and quality inspection.

Rob Cottrell, AWE Skills Academy manager, said: “It’s always exciting to welcome our new apprentices. It’s a culmination of many months' work with contributions and support from across the organisation.”

AWE has pledged its continued support for young people in industry by signing up to a national initiative aimed at addressing the UK’s skills shortage. The 5% Club is an industry-wide pledge to commit 5% of a company’s workforce to apprenticeships, or student or graduate training programmes.