An AESSEAL employee has won one of the top awards in this year's Rotherham Apprentice of the Year competition.

Maisie Caudwell, a CAM Programmer Apprentice who joined the company in July 2022, was the winner in the Advanced Category of the competition.

Maisie is currently undertaking her advanced apprenticeship at the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre and is also a STEM champion.

Nikki Jones, director of the AMRC Training Centre, congratulated Maisie on her award win, adding:

It is fantastic to see that one of our apprentices has been recognised for such an award, which is a testament to Maisie's growing skills, enthusiasm and commitment to her apprenticeship.

Apprentices like Maisie are helping to pave the way to encourage others to look at careers in engineering and to keep the industry moving for a bright and exciting future. A huge congratulations to Maisie on her win and we hope to see more exciting things come from her in the future.

The judges said that Maisie had consistently exceeded all expectations in her work, and that her passion and determination to succeed had made her an outstanding role model for her employer and for the apprenticeship programme.

Maisie said that reaching a decision about what to do after finishing her GCSEs had not been easy.

At 15 years old, it was a daunting task. But after researching apprenticeships in general, then shifting my focus towards the engineering industry, I knew that an AESSEAL apprenticeship was the right choice for me. Over the past year I have learned a diverse range of skills that have helped me both in my career and in my personal life, and the opportunities that have been offered to me are far beyond what I could have ever imagined.

The competition, which is in its eighth year, is sponsored by the Rotherham Advertiser. One of its aims is to change the traditional view of apprenticeships as a lesser alternative to university.

Advertiser editor Andrew Mosley said that apprenticeships were a viable alternative route to employment at a time when the rising cost of living could land a student with huge debts, and were also a major contribution to the local economy.

We need to highlight the importance of apprenticeships to Rotherham’s businesses, and show just how vital the people who entered this competition are to our town's future.