Success story in the making

Engineering ace, Tom Bennett, who works with Babcock’s Defence Systems Technology team in Bristol, joined an elite group late last year when he received a prestigious Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Whitworth Award. He was nominated for the award by the University of the West of England (UWE), following a presentation on his experiences of as part of Babcock’s four‑year Technical Apprentice Scheme.

Tom, now a ‘Whitworth Scholar’, finished the Scheme early and was appointed first as an Assistant Engineer and then Engineer at the Bristol site where his grandfather worked in the 1930s. He is now in his second year of a part‑time BEng in Mechanical Engineering at the UWE.

Babcock supported Tom’s ambitions from the start of his apprenticeship, giving him well‑earned responsibility and the chance to get ‘hands on’ in the workshops. He got on the fast‑track to university after being identified as a keen draughtsman and someone who showed a real talent for engineering.