Oxfordshire-based Apprentice picks up two Engineering Trust Awards

Meg Denham, 23 from Oxfordshire, has won both the Apprentice of the Year (4th year cohort) and the prominent Trustees Award, an award presented to the most deserving apprentice across all nominations.

Commenting on Meg’s voracious appetite to learn and her ability to complete work promptly and to the highest standard, Les Jones, Technical Trainer at Owen Mumford said: “Meg completed three NVQs in the time it usually takes to do one and started her level 4 qualification early, receiving a distinction. This earned her the apt nickname of ‘The Terminator’ from her NVQ assessor and she received exceptional reports from every department she has worked in. In fact, there was a scramble for her time!”

After completing a four-year tooling engineer apprenticeship with placements at Owen Mumford’s Woodstock and Chipping Norton factories, Meg has been fast-tracked into a junior engineer position. The company is now sponsoring her to complete a degree level course in manufacturing engineering.

Meg completed three NVQs rather than the usual single qualification because she was unable to choose between them: “Each one sounded appealing and I wanted to see if it was possible to do them all. I’ve always been interested in engineering and it has been great to get practical, hands-on experience. I have especially enjoyed seeing how all of Owen Mumford’s departments fit together,” she explains. “I was so happy and surprised to find out I had won these awards. It is wonderful to have my hard work recognised.”

Owen Mumford’s long-term plan is to hire 2-4 apprentices a year to support a talent pipeline into the business. “This scheme allows us to grow our own talent pool and develop individuals to have a firm understanding of best practices in our industry,” adds Les. “Apprentice programmes are an important way to address the skills shortage our industry faces. We also encourage women to consider the engineering apprenticeship as they are currently under-represented. There are other large engineering organisations in the local area, so it is important for us to have a compelling offer when competing for local talent.”

Owen Mumford is a major healthcare company and device manufacturer that commercialises pioneering medical products in its own brand and custom device solutions for the world’s major pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.  Owen Mumford’s goal is to enhance access to diagnostics, encourage adherence to treatment and reduce healthcare costs, making a world of difference to a world of people. 

Through advanced research involving end-users and healthcare professionals, and extensive design and manufacturing capabilities, Owen Mumford produces class-leading medical devices that are used globally and exports over 85% of its products to more than 60 countries worldwide.

Selected as one of The World Economic Forum’s Global Growth Companies, Owen Mumford is a trusted partner to many of the world’s biggest diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.owenmumford.com.