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Rising Airbus Star Jamie Bounces Back from Redundancy

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Design engineer Jamie Stenhoff has bounced back from redundancy to become a rising star at aerospace company Airbus.

Jamie, 24, lost his job when neighbouring Broughton company Marshall Aviation Services closed its base there.

Now he is bidding to win the Higher Apprentice of the Year Award for the second time at next month's Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, the annual celebration of outstanding achievement in training and apprenticeships.

He won the award for the first time in 2016, when he was also named EEF Higher Apprentice of the Year for Wales and Rising Star at the UK awards.

Thirty-four finalists in a dozen categories are in the running for the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, which will be presented at a high-profile ceremony at the new International Convention Centre Wales, Newport on October 24.

The awards showcase the successes of the best learners, employers, tutors and assessors in Wales who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government's Traineeship and Apprenticeship programmes.

Jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru has Openreach, the UK's digital network business, as its premier sponsor this year. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

Airbus supported Jamie to complete an apprenticeship started at his previous employer and he now has a string of qualifications to his name, including a First Class Honours Degree (BEng) in Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering.

His qualifications, all achieved through Coleg Cambria, range from a Foundation Apprenticeship in Improving Operational Performance to a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4) in Manufacturing Engineering and a Level 6 Advanced Manufacturing Framework.

Now based within the design team for A330 aircraft, he works with emerging apprentices and networks across Airbus and with suppliers. He transfers his knowledge by driving innovation through design changes and improving processes.

One solution he introduced relating to product quality saved Airbus 50,000 euros per year in lost time. He is currently implementing a design project to save in excess of 50 hours per aircraft built.

“The Airbus apprenticeship has provided me with essential insight into the engineering sector, how the market works and how the decisions of every employee have an effect on the company,” said Jamie.

“These are skills and knowledge that cannot be gained without experiencing the everyday work within a company. I have always spared time to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and apprenticeships and encourage others to pursue their passion.”

Peter Ford, Airbus' Early Careers Manager, said:

“Jamie has exceeded our expectations by establishing himself as one of the most talented and proficient rising stars of the business.”

Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ken Skates, congratulated Jamie and all the other shortlisted finalists.

“Our Welsh Government's Apprenticeships and Traineeship programmes are helping increasing numbers of people to gain the skills and experience that we know businesses across all sectors of the economy in Wales really need,”

“The Apprenticeship Awards Cymru provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate and showcase the achievements of everyone involved in those programmes from our star apprentices and employers, to learning providers and trainees.”

Business News Wales