IPS International Engineering Awards Evening 2025
A week on from our Awards Evening – how time goes fast!! Let’s look back at the highlights in this blog!
Celebrating Excellence
The IPS Engineering Awards Evening 2025 was a celebration of hard work, learning and achievement throughout the year. Held on Thursday 17th July 2025 at Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham, the evening brought together apprentices, employers, families, and staff to recognise and reward the outstanding individuals.
Honouring Our Apprentices and Students
We were thrilled to present awards across a wide range of categories, recognising technical excellence, personal development, academic achievement, and innovation. A huge congratulations to this year’s winners:
- Electrical Apprentice of the Year – Joseph Cox (Premier Foods)
- Mechanical Apprentice of the Year – Thomas Chapman (KentKraft)
- BAE Systems Project of the Year – Miles Howe (BAE Systems)
- BAE Systems Apprentice of the Year – Jack Eichler-Gregory (BAE Systems)
- BAE Systems Personal Development Week Award – Lucy Brightman-Stokes (BAE Systems)
- Technical Commercial Mechanical Excellence – Max Winstone
- Sam Smythson Award – Millie Hales (Kimberly-Clarke)
- Benn Sibbald Award – Peter Zborai (Premier Foods)
- BTEC Year 1 Apprentice of the Year – Adam Webb (Civil Service)
- BTEC Year 1 Student of the Year – Jacob Jordan (Thermofisher)
- BTEC Project of the Year – Sidney Barton (Premier Foods)
- Mike Henderson HNC Project of the Year – Ryan Hughes (Coty Ltd)
- Year 2 HNC Student of the Year – Luke Eggleston (Southeastern Ltd)
- Year 2 BTEC Learner of the Year – Daniel Wallis (Phinia)
Thank You to Our Award Sponsors
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the incredible organisations who sponsored this year’s awards.
Our 2025 Award Sponsors:
- Mid Kent Electrical
- Uniper
- National Grid
- Amphenol
- Cafe2U
- BAE Systems
- Bowles Rocks
- Kimberly-Clarke
- Premier Foods
- CHEP
- Southern Water
Your support helps us shine a spotlight on excellence — and we are truly grateful for your continued partnership.
Inspiring Words from Our Guest Speakers
We were honoured to welcome passionate speakers who brought powerful messages about leadership, resilience, and the future of engineering careers.
- Ewan Henesy, from Bowles Rocks (Outdoor Learning and Development), delivered a thought-provoking talk on the power of personal growth, reflection, and individual challenges.
- Stewart Clack, from GrainLNG, spoke with compassion as he presented a very special award named in honour of a former learner and GrainLNG employee who is sadly no longer with us. This moving tribute reminded us of the profound and lasting impact individuals can have on the lives of those around them.
- Camilla Maurice, from Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, closed the evening with warm words about the importance of apprenticeships in growing our local economy and building a strong, skilled workforce.
We’re deeply grateful to all our speakers and presenters for making the evening so meaningful and memorable.
A Special Tribute: Mike Henderson HNC Project of the Year Award
This year marked the introduction of a very special new award — the Mike Henderson HNC Project of the Year.
Named in memory of Mike Henderson, a beloved Director at IPS International who sadly passed away in 2024. This award honours Mike’s dedication and his belief in the power of apprenticeships, and his unwavering support for learners.
The inaugural award was presented by Mike’s son, Toby, making the moment especially meaningful for everyone in attendance. It was a powerful reminder of Mike’s legacy and the lasting impact he had on our team, our learners, and the engineering community.
A Night to Remember
With heartfelt speeches, proud families, and a room full of future leaders, the 2025 IPS Engineering Awards Evening was a true highlight of the year. It was a privilege to celebrate alongside so many dedicated individuals and organisations, and we’re already looking forward to what next year will bring.
To all our winners, finalists, and nominees - well done. Your achievements inspire everyone at IPS and across the industry.
