On Thursday 1st August, our fantastic Cohort 1 students were joined by family, friends and representatives of Next Engineers and The Inspirational Learning Group who watched on as our aspiring engineers graduated from the Engineering Academy at Uttoxeter Racecourse.
Following a three course meal, the signing of yearbooks and a chance to celebrate with their cohort, our students were called up onto stage one by one to receive their graduation certificate and to be applauded for their fantastic performance and achievements across the three years of the Academy.
The evening truly was a celebration of our Academy students and it was fantastic to see such an impressive turnout from our students’ support networks as they embark onto the next exciting chapter of their lives.
Jennifer Edwards, Director of GE Vernova Foundation praised our Cohort 1 students and said,
“Congratulations on your graduation from the Next Engineers Engineering Academy! Over the past three years you have stuck with this programme, demonstrating a level of commitment and dedication far beyond what we imagined. You have learned from The Inspirational Learning Group and GE Vernova engineers and volunteers. You have designed, built, tested, and failed… only to redesign and succeed. You have presented your innovations to your peers as well as professional engineers and you have learned valuable life skills like problem-solving, teamwork, perseverance, communication, and joy of learning.
"As you continue your journey, carry with you the spirit of curiosity and a passion for learning. As Director for the GE Vernova Foundation, I celebrate your achievements with pride and excitement. The future is yours to shape and I have no doubt you will be the “builders of tomorrow” … the changemakers and innovators who will solve the world’s toughest challenges”.
“It has been a pleasure to support our first cohort of Academy students and support them throughout their journey,” said Ben Dyer, Co-Founder of The Inspirational Learning Group. “Our team has been so impressed with their dedication and creativity throughout – we can safely say that the future of engineering is in very safe hands! We wish all of our graduates the best of luck as they enter their new chapters, whether that is at university, apprenticeships or employment.”
Cohort 1 have been led by the wonderful Ben Worth and Carl Cockram, who were also in attendance at the graduation ceremony.
Ben Worth said, “Next Engineers has been an incredible project to work on. When I was lucky enough to get the role as a Lead Facilitator on the Next Engineers Programme, I had no idea how important the course would become in my life. It’s something that I would put up there as one of my proudest career experiences and the main reason for that is because of our amazingly talented students.
"From day one the students have blown me away with their attitude, their intelligence and their dedication. I believe every single member of the cohort will go on to achieve remarkable things. It’s been a pleasure to share these three years of learning and development in all things engineering with this group. They will always be in my memory and in my heart. I’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and expertise with the students. The course could not have achieved its success without them.
"To the students I want to wish you all the very best with your futures and I want to thank you all for being the best group of young people I have ever had the pleasure to teach. Go change the world!”.
Carl Cockram added, “It has been my absolute honour to work with such talented young people. They have excelled themselves and hopefully they realise or will come to realise the importance of their pioneering work! Myself and Ben talk about Cohort 1 all the time… how much they have all grown especially in confidence which is a very important skill to have in life!”.
Alongside developing their engineering skills, our students have built an extraordinary support system with their fellow students that they will carry forward to their next steps. Paul Dyer, Programme Lead from The Inspirational Learning Group said,
“When the Inspirational Learning Group took over the running of Next Engineers Academy I had the pleasure of attending a session at Staffordshire University to observe the Academy in action. What struck me straight away was the camaraderie and how close a bond the whole cohort seemed to have. Over the last 12 months you have shown tremendous dedication, teamwork and a great attitude to learning and developing. The willingness to help not only your teammates but also share knowledge and ideas between teams has been great to see and I am in no doubt that you all have a fantastic future ahead of you if you continue the hard work you have shown this year”.
Graduate Xanthe said, "Over the past 3 years, I have had the pleasure to be on GE’s Next Engineers course. On the 1st August we graduated! We had speakers from GE including Clar Collins and David Cook who were great people to look up to. We have been armed with the connections, skills and determination to change the future. I loved having yearbooks as we can all share memories about our time together and wishing good luck to each other". Emily added, "I had an amazing time at graduation, from the great food to the speeches from the GE personnel, it was an unforgettable night. It was so nice to have the opportunity to see my cohort for the last time before moving on in such a nice environment. The year books made it fun to go around and swap memories of everything we have done over the last three years, as well as inside jokes (such as the vegan curry recipe). Overall it was a great night and an amazing finish to the journey of Next Engineers".
Our Academy students will now move onto the next chapter of their lives whether continuing their studies at universities or starting apprenticeships with some of the UK’s leading employers and we could not be prouder of them.
They really are a credit to their families, the Next Engineers programme and of course themselves.
