Institution news
In a hotly contested competition, the judges could not separate the two. Nick Valentine, who works as a graduate engineer in the civil service, says he is proud to have been recognised with the award and the way he has contributed to the institution through his volunteering.
“I was proud to have contributed to the IMechE and helping to make a difference to everyone associated with the institution. I look forward to continuing this journey and supporting members in whatever way I can.
“This award has shown to my employer my commitment to advancing engineering and supporting others. They are very supportive of my volunteering and have seen the way it has enabled me to further develop and grow as an individual. I certainly see this being beneficial to my future career and my continued volunteering.”
Roshni Wijesekera believes that the award is a great way of encouraging others to volunteer, and says that volunteering can also offer great opportunities for personal and professional development for those taking part.
“I think volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to champion the causes you are passionate about within engineering. For example, volunteering with the IMechE amongst many other things gave me the opportunity to promote engineering in schools, celebrate diversity and inclusion within our profession, and encourage collaboration with engineers across all disciplines.
“For young engineers, it is also a chance to develop leadership and management skills and a strong professional network, which you normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to do quite so early on in your career.”
Christian Young, who chairs the IMechE’s Young Members Board, agrees, and says that not only do these awards give a boost to the careers of the winners, but they also help promote the industry to the wider public.
“The most important thing about these awards is helping to highlight all the work the young members are doing, both within the institution and in the wider profession. You get a very diverse range of experiences, and it often shows off some very different and unconventional engineering.
“All of this helps shine a light on what engineers do and gives a bit of prestige to engineering as a profession.”
Congratulations to Nick and Roshni. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers encourages both young members to nominate themselves as well as encouraging more experienced members to nominate their outstanding young engineers when the 2020 awards launch later in the year.