The Total People Apprentice of the Year Award for Engineering has been again awarded to an employee from Packaging Automation Ltd.

Tanya Westenraad, who has worked for the company for four years, received recognition this week for her work at the manufacturing business that deals with high quality sealing and filling equipment.

The award is given to a learner who has exceeded expectations and who has made a significant contribution to their organisation, resulting in measurable results.

Packaging Automation’s is committed to encouraging young people to undertake engineering apprenticeships. Westenraad, alongside former Packaging Automation award winning apprentice Katie Welsh, has visited schools in the region to talk about engineering and encourage people to consider it as a challenging career.

Westenraad has worked in a number of departments since starting her apprenticeship with Packaging Automation to get a good grounding in the skills that she will need to continue her career. She has also undertaken several qualifications alongside her practical learning.

Westenraad said: “Packaging Automation has given me a wonderful opportunity, not something that I would ever have experienced in South Africa. There are good prospects for me here and I will continue my training and learning to progress further. This is a fantastic company to work for and I have received excellent support from everyone throughout my apprenticeship.”

Chairman Anthony Penn added: “We place a high value on training and are committed to helping our apprentices reach their full potential.

“We will continue to train young people in-house, and this is something we believe is important due to the on-going lack of skilled engineers in the UK.”