Graduate, Degree or Higher Level Apprentice of the Year 2026

This award recognises the success of a graduate or degree apprentice whose commitment, innovative thinking, and skills are making a valued contribution to the workplace, and is set to make a big difference to the organisation and wider engineering and manufacturing sector.

Winner: Lucy Yelland, Automation Engineer Degree Apprentice at Siemens 

Lucy Yelland of Siemens is an outstanding automation engineer whose degree apprenticeship has combined academic excellence with business impact. She has shown technical ability, leadership and resilience through fault diagnosis, project delivery, mentoring and outreach, while excelling in WorldSkills competition. She is already making a measurable difference and building a promising leadership future.