GCU hosts inaugural Graduate Apprenticeship Impact Awards
Employers, mentors and GCU staff have gathered to celebrate the workplace impact of our graduate apprentices at the inaugural GA Impact Awards.
The awards recognise the real-world contributions of more than 1,100 graduate apprenticeships and the employers and mentors supporting their development.
As Scotland's leading provider of graduate apprenticeships, we work with more than 400 employers to help staff combine their full-time roles with part-time study.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) sponsored the awards at our inaugural prize-giving this evening.
Professor Mairi Watson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of GCU, said: "Tonight's finalists remind us that impact is not measured only by the qualifications achieved, but by the lives improved, the organisations strengthened and the opportunities created. Their achievements demonstrate the very best of what can be accomplished when education and industry work together, and when talented individuals are given the opportunity, support and confidence to realise their potential.
“From cyber security and engineering to artificial intelligence, business improvement and sustainability, our finalists are demonstrating the difference that graduate apprentices can make across a wide range of industries. And what really stands out is that these individuals are not simply preparing to make a contribution to their organisations in the future – they are making a difference right now.”
Graduate apprentices entering the awards were asked to describe the activity undertaken, the workplace challenge addressed, the programme learning applied and the resulting impact.
Four winners were selected, one for each year group, from 24 finalists.
Year 1 Winner:
Erin Gibbons, from Barclays
BA (Hons) GA Business Management with HR Management
Erin picked up our first-year award for designing a successful school outreach programme for Barclays Early Careers Recruitment scheme.
She said: "The feedback showed that apprenticeships were under-represented compared with university routes and students lacked early, practical information about roles, entry requirements, and recruitment."
More than 1,200 young people signed up for the virtual launch, a 525% increase from the previous year. Three in-person sessions were also held in Glasgow, Knutsford and Northampton.
Year 2 Winner:
Strachan Singer, from Scot JCB Ltd
BSc (Hons) GA Cyber Security
Strachan is our second-year winner for leading the implementation of new specialist software to help diagnose and repair customer machinery.
He said: "I worked with engineers to test the applications in real-world scenarios and with the Technology team throughout the rollout. The GA gave me the security principles I needed to approach the problem."
Almost 170 field engineers now use the approved diagnostic applications.
Year 3 Winner:
Ryan Glachan, from Aggreko
BEng (Hons) GA Engineering (Design and Manufacture)
Ryan won the third-year award for leading the electrical engineering scope of work for a gas generator compliance modification project in Australia.
He said: "The issue affected engineering, manufacturing, testing, procurement, field-service teams, the Australian business, and ultimately customers requiring compliant and reliable equipment.
"My learning helped me approach the project as a complete engineering problem rather than simply a component change."
Year 4 Winner:
Ryan Nimmo, from OCS Group
BSc (Hons) GA in Software Development
Our fourth-year winner, Ryan, designed and developed a mobile application to help facilities management staff on the Elizabeth Line in London.
He said: "Frontline staff were using two separate applications to manage shifts, work orders, and cleaning audits, creating a fragmented user journey and duplicated development, testing and support effort.
"I strengthened my research, technical documentation, critical analysis, and project planning skills through the successful completion of a large-scale applied research project."