A trainee lift engineer from Hounslow has floored the competition to win a prestigious apprenticeship award.
Sabina Enu-Kwesi defied the odds in the male-dominated industry to be named work experience student/intern at the Spark! Annual Partnership Awards last Thursday (November 20).
The 19-year-old has been working as an apprentice at Otis Elevator Company while studying for an NVQ in manufacturing at Isleworth's West Thames College.
Women account for just six per cent of engineers in the UK, according to the Women's Engineering Society.
But Sabina, who hopes to become a fully accredited lift engineer within three years, has not let that statistic deter her.
"Even though apprentices from all over the UK get chosen to go onto the scheme, I am the only girl out of 19 successful applicants within my region, but I won't let that get in the way of me being the best at what I do," she said.
"When I first came to the college I knew very little about manufacturing, but with the help of West Thames College, I soon realised my potential, and was given the foundational knowledge and direction I needed to get here."
* You can learn more about courses and apprenticeships in manufacturing and engineering at an open day at West Thames College's Feltham Skills Centre tomorrow (Saturday, November 29).
