Norwich engineer scoops national graduate accolade

A Norwich engineer has been named Graduate of the Year at an awards ceremony in honour of the UK’s best engineering construction talent.

Toby Highstead, a mechanical engineer at Amentum, received the honour at the 12th annual ECI Training and Development Awards in London.

The event, organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), brought together industry leaders and rising stars of tomorrow, for a celebration of excellence in training and development.

Toby was shortlisted in the final three for the award, which recognises the achievements of individuals taking part in a company graduate programme over the past year.

The 24-year-old joined Jacobs in September 2022 and spent two years as a graduate mechanical engineer working in the Scottish nuclear decommissioning sector.

Jacobs merged with Amentum in September this year and he is now based in Warrington.

Toby graduated with a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Leicester.

He was commended by judges for his technical ability, innovative problem-solving, leadership, dedication to community and environmental stewardship, enhanced by his use of AI and creation of a custom code using ChatGPT.

Toby said, “I was told when I was younger that I would never become an engineer, so I am over the moon to be recognised for what I have achieved.

“I always enjoyed STEM subjects when I was at school, I was into science and maths. I remember my year four teacher pulling my parents to one side at a parents evening and saying I had a talent. I hope he would be proud of me now.

“This is only the start of my career. I can only see it going further from here. Winning means a lot to me. It shows the passion I have for this industry.”

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