Rising stars recognised as industry celebrates excellence in training and development

Three rising stars of industry from Scotland were among the big winners at the 13^th annual Engineering Construction Industry (ECI) Training & Development Awards last night at Glaziers Hall in London.

Fallon Campbell, Michael Horgan and Annalise Clark each picked up an award at a prestigious ceremony to honour the very best of engineering construction talent in Great Britain.

The event, organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and hosted by Dr Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, brought together industry leaders, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow, for a celebration of excellence in training and development in the ECI.

The three individual awards all went to inspirational talents from Scotland, marking their significant contributions to industry and commitment to their own personal development.

Fallon, who is an electrician on the nuclear site at NRS Dounreay, was named Apprentice of the Year, while the Graduate of the Year accolade went to Michael, a project engineer in the energy industry at Aberdeenshire-based STATS Group.

Annalise, who is a trainee maintenance operative at Altrad, won the ECITB New Entrant Award after completing the Work Ready Programme at Forth Valley College.

The nuclear industry was well represented in the winners on the night. As well as the apprentice award, the Herne Group (SME of the Year) and Sellafield Ltd (Excellence in ED&I) were also recognised for their work in the sector around training and development.

‘ECI Awards finalists set standards to which we all aspire’

ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said: “As the industry-led skills body for engineering construction, we are committed to developing the skills needed for the delivery of critical infrastructure projects, energy security and net zero ambitions across Great Britain.

“We spoke of this commitment when launching our new strategy, Leading Industry Learning, back in September, which outlined how we will help to address skills shortages and support industry growth amid an increasingly complex and fast-changing external environment.

“We highlighted how achieving the outcomes from our 2026-30 strategy will require collaboration and commitment well beyond the ECITB alone.

“It fills me with great hope, therefore, to see this commitment to skills development showcased throughout industry in the inspiring entries we received this year for the ECI Training & Development Awards.

“Congratulations go to all the winners and finalists who are great examples of these success stories over the past year and set standards to which we all aspire.

“I would also like to thank our judges, as well as our generous sponsors who made the evening possible for us to celebrate the brightest and best.”

A judging panel of industry representatives – made up of Tracey Shelley (BCECA), John Simpson (ECIA), Mark Riley (Phillips 66 Limited), Steve Hunt (Altrad) and Helen Woodward Davies (EDF Energy) – picked the overall winners based on the significant contributions they have made both to the ECI and their own organisations.

There were two repeat winners on the night. Wright Engineering won the Leading Industry Safety Award a year after being named SME of the Year, while Hydratight Limited was named International Training Organisation of the Year for a second year running, this time for its work in Singapore.

Scotland also enjoyed further success with Aberdeen’s AFS Technologies picking up the Training Organisation of the Year award for Great Britain, while Bilfinger UK, which operates from both Warrington and Aberdeen, was named Large Employer of the Year.

As well as each category being sponsored, the drinks, entertainment and host were sponsored by the National College for Nuclear, Wright Engineering and Women’s Engineering Society (WES) respectively, while the dinner was sponsored by Nuclear Skills Alliance / Hinkley Point C (HPC).

Philippa Burt, HR Director at Hinkley Point C, said: “Hinkley Point C’s immense scale means that it can be a force for good and a catalyst for change. Our investment in people, skills and industrial capacity is driving growth across Britain.

“Aligned to Britain’s emerging Industrial Strategy, the project is tackling the barriers to growth head-on. The development of a skilled workforce and the support for the supply chain is creating the right conditions for increased investment and high-quality jobs.

“We are delighted to continue lending our support by helping to shine a spotlight on the excellence that is in abundant example every day in the ECI sector.”

Find out more about the ECI Training & Development Awards 2025