An Engineering apprentice at Derby College has been recognised by East Midlands Chamber in their annual Enterprising Women awards.

Amber Nicholson (22) from Chaddesden is an apprentice with AESSEAL in Derby which is part of a global company specialising in mechanical seals and support systems.

Amber was nominated for the award by AESSEAL General Manager Andy Stoney (pictured with Amber).

She was unable to collect her award in person as she was part of an Engineering student and apprentice visit to Derby’s twin town Osnabrück in Germany – visiting local companies there to gain further work experience.

She said: “I was honoured to be shortlisted for the Apprentice of the Year award but to then find out that I had won was incredible.

“I have always wanted to work in engineering and, although it took me some time to find the right job – I am thoroughly enjoying it at AESSEAL.

“Apprenticeships are the ideal way to learn on the job and at College and I plan to progress onto higher education qualifications after completing the Level 3.

“Although I am one of the only girls in the engineering side of the business, I am never made to feel any different and I hope that more girls in the future recognise that engineering is a rewarding and diverse career.”

Andy Stoney continued: “We nominated Amber because she has taken all the opportunities presented to her and goes above and beyond  – including recently taking on the full-time CAD role at the company.

“Apprenticeships are the ideal route for us to recruit new staff.  The programme enables us to develop people in the mould we want and gives local young people a valuable first step on the career ladder.

“Around half of the 40 staff here have come through the apprenticeship route and we are utilising our levy to continue on this path and ensure we have the skills we need both now and in the future.”