2019 IET Technician Winner
Jonathan Potter TMIET
In 2019 I was honoured to receive the IET Technician award. It was great privilege to be recognised for the work I have done in science and engineering at Diamond Light Source. The adulation that I received from being awarded this title from an organisation like the IET has been great for me to promote the role that technicians have within the company and a great way for my peers to see what recognition there is out there for the work we do.
Since winning the award I have continued in my role as Senior Mechanical Beamline Technician on I11. The Beamline has been though a major upgrade over the past three years. I played a critical role in the design and installation of the highly technical equipment. The IET award gave me great strength and confidence in my ability though a challenging time for the beamline.
I am currently in the process of moving on to a new role as a Senior Experimental Hall Coordinator where I will be providing a broad range of support and advice to maintain the operational effectiveness of all beamlines and laboratories within the Diamond Synchrotron. Having the recognition of this award from the IET has helped me achieve this goal.
2020 IET Technician Winner
Chloe Garland TMIET
In 2020 I was awarded Engineering Technician of the Year. This was a significant win for me as it nicely wrapped up an end to the projects I had been working on for many years.
Since winning, I have been based in Germany within an international environment, and although my current employer does not recognise my professional registration, my continued membership with the IET (that was awarded as part of the prize) has provided me with the access to resources to keep my CPD up to date and given me access to resources which have helped me progress my Eng Tech status, to apply for IEng.
Winning the award also gave me access to invaluable networking within the IET which has led to me joining the IET as a volunteer and I am now on the judging panel for the IET Apprentice and Technician Awards. This year I was delighted to be asked to judge the Young Women Engineer of the Year awards.
I feel my award gave me a huge boost in confidence and reassurance that the hard work I put into my career is appreciated and recognised, not only by my managers and employer, but the wider engineering community such as the IET.
2021 IET Technician Winner
Kieron Coyle EngTech BSc(Hons) MSc MIET
Back in 2021, I was lucky enough to win the IET technician of the year award with the IET. It still feels surreal with some of the incredible entries in the competition.
Since winning the award, I finally took the leap and applied to become an incorporated engineer within the IET and have been involved with judging the boost and launch scholarships which has been an incredible privilege. I have also received a promotion since that time and have become a BIM manager within Hydrock’s MEP division.
I have continued to look at how programming and digital technology can improve efficiencies and standardise what we do at Hydrock. One project I am working on now is the Velindre Cancer Centre which will be the UK’s greenest hospital. It is based in North Cardiff and has been an absolute honour to be involved with, particularly since my own mother has recently passed away from cancer and received support from Velindre, to which I am forever grateful for.
2018 IET Armed Forces Technician Winner
Sgt Dan Hardwick IEng MIET
I was the winner of the Armed Forces Technician Award in 2018, I was nominated due to work on an innovative solution to a tooling issue on the Tornado Aircraft, in addition to being a very active STEM Ambassador within the Norfolk Region.
Since winning the award I have had a renewed confidence in my skills and experience which spurred me on to achieve Professional Registration as an Incorporated Engineer. In 2019 I was asked to join the awards judging panel and a year later I became Vice Chair. Giving back to the IET in this way is extremely rewarding.
I also applied for an Engineering Education Grant from the IET and IMechE which provided funding for a STEM practical principles of flight activity which has gone on to reach at least 15,000 students across the UK and continues to grow.
In 2021 after a 2-year design and build process I was crowned winner of the RAF Engineering Competition with a Raspberry Pi based, networkable, collision detection system for aircraft.
I have recently applied to leave the Royal Air Force after 22 years and am looking forward to new, exciting opportunities within the engineering sector, building on my successful career in the Armed Forces.
2019 IET Apprentice Winner
Thomas Sutherland
Winning the IET Apprentice of the Year award in 2019 was a massive achievement for me, as it was a goal I had set myself early on in my apprenticeship. The award increased my confidence and affirmed that I can achieve targets I set myself, highlighting the progress I had made with support from my employer Leonardo. Within the industry, I believe the IET Apprentice of the Year award is highly regarded, and it provided me with a significant boost both within my company and externally.
Following the award, I continued to be involved with the IET through amazing volunteering opportunities, taking up the role as the Apprentice Representative on the Young Professional Committee (YPC). After only a few months within this position, I found myself attending international young professional conferences with the IET, where I was invited to share my knowledge and experience as an input to the IET’s forward-looking strategy. It was excellent to have an opportunity to influence the strategy and see proactive changes as a response to my inputs.
Additionally, the award also opened doors for my career development by helping me secure business sponsorship for degree studies while working full time at Leonardo. Having now completed this degree, I have moved onto senior engineering roles, and I continue to help the IET as an advocate for apprenticeships at any opportunity.
Anyone considering nominating/applying for IET Apprentice of the Year should absolutely do it as it really will turbocharge your engineering career!