An apprentice engineer from the Isle of Man was among the winners at the recent North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) New Talent Awards, an event run in partnership with the Department of Economic Development and the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster.

Held at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester, the awards recognise and reward the achievements of young apprentices and graduates from the North West of England and the Isle of Man’s aerospace and defence industry.

Apprentice Robert Kermode from Triumph Group, based in Onchan, gained the Highly Commended accolade.

His project entry for the awards focussed on Value Stream Mapping and lean transformation of the manufacturing process for the Airbus A320 Selector body - a key component of the landing gear system.

Lawrie Hooper MHK, the politician with responsibility for manufacturing, said: ’Congratulations to Robert and the team at Triumph on their prestigious award win. It showcases the quality of the Isle of Man apprenticeship scheme run by University College Isle of Man at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre and demonstrates the Isle of Man’s commitment to excellence and encouraging skills development in the engineering and aerospace sectors.’