At TBS Engineering, innovation doesn’t start and end with our technology—it begins with our people. For more than a decade, we have invested in developing the next generation of engineering specialists through our apprenticeship programme, delivered in partnership with Gloucestershire Engineering Training (GET). This long-standing collaboration continues to prove its impact, as this year two of our apprentices were recognised at the GET Presentation Evening Awards, one of the most respected apprentice celebration events in the region.
Oliver Richings: Setting the Standard in Precision and Peer Recognition
This year, Oliver Richings earned shortlist nominations in not one, but two prestigious GET award categories:
- Best Overall Miller Apprentice
- Apprentices’ Apprentice of the Year – Barnwood
To be nominated by training assessors for technical excellence is a significant achievement. To additionally be recognised by fellow apprentices in the GET “peer-voted” category speaks volumes about Oliver’s character. His nominations reflect both his technical ability on the milling machines and the leadership and respect he has built among those training alongside him. His progress marks him as one of the most promising precision engineers emerging from the region.
Hannah Kingdon: Championing Versatility, Determination, and Elite Skill
Hannah’s award journey was nothing short of extraordinary. She received GET nominations in several highly competitive categories:
- Best Overall Turner Apprentice
- Best Overall CNC Apprentice
- Best Overall Turner CNC Apprentice
She then went on to secure wins in two of the evening’s most celebrated awards:
– Best Overall Fitter Apprentice
– Apprentices’ Apprentice of the Year – Forest of Dean
Winning the Fitter award demonstrated her mechanical understanding, assembly skill, and engineering fundamentals. Securing Apprentices’ Apprentice of the Year—voted by her peers—confirmed what we have always known inside TBS: Hannah is the rare engineer who combines high technical competence with a collaborative mindset, resilience, and a determination to continually raise her own bar. These dual wins reflect the kind of multi-discipline engineer that the industry needs for the future.
The Bigger Picture: A Workforce Built on Opportunity, Expertise, and Community
Their achievements underscore a central truth: apprenticeships drive industry progress. They shape careers, build confidence, and strengthen operational capabilities from the ground up.
TBS Engineering has championed engineering apprenticeships for 11+ years, working side by side with GET to help young engineers transition from learning into long-term career success. We take pride in the fact that many of our past apprentices remain part of our business today, advancing into specialist, senior, and leadership roles—continuing to develop, innovate, and share their skills across our global organisation.
What sets the TBS apprenticeship experience apart is the balance between hands-on mechanical training and exposure to high-speed, cutting-edge automation equipment—the same standard of machinery used by international battery manufacturers across the globe. Our apprentices don’t just learn engineering principles—they apply them to real industrial challenges, meaningful internal improvement projects, and technology delivered to some of the world’s most demanding manufacturing environments.
To find our more visit: TBS Apprenticeships
