Employee wins top award for enthusiasm and smart thinking

The 21-year-old from Bradford was Winner of the Engineering / Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year at the Sheffield City Region Apprenticeship Awards on June 27.

Judges praised Shivan’s enthusiasm and smart thinking in his role as a CNC machinist at the Company’s £15m rail plant in Leeds.

Shivan previously won AMRC Training Centre’s Apprentice of the Year in March.

Mr William Cook, group commercial director, said: “Shivan is forward thinking, creative and demonstrates the ability to rise to engineering challenges. “We are very proud of his progress, as we are of all our new recruits, and look forward to his continued development at our Company."

Shivan said: “It is a great feeling to have your hard work, determination and passion recognised with an award. “This apprenticeship has had a huge impact on me - it has enabled me to grow as an individual.”

He is among the former apprentices who are now studying foundation degrees through William Cook. Other success stories include Harrison Bonsall and Adeel Hussain, both now beginning degree courses with the Company, and Jack Mezulis, who has been appointed methods engineer at the £8m Precision plant in Sheffield.  

All new recruits are gaining vital experience and mentoring under the guidance of skilled craftsmen across the group’s newly modernised sites in Sheffield, Leeds and Stanhope in County Durham. William Cook is recruiting 12 more apprentices to begin in September and is continuing its partnership with the AMRC Training Centre in Rotherham. It has developed a new alliance with the National Foundry Training Centre, part of the new Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills, which is based in Wolverhampton.

The new recruits will be selected on the basis of their enthusiasm for engineering, willingness to work and educational attainment. They will have the chance to work on high-value products in the defence, rail, architecture and energy markets.

• Picture shows Shivan Morkar with Jo Owens of category sponsor Openreach (right) and event host Ashleigh Porter-Exley (left)