Diageo engineer is NI Apprentice of the Year
A Diageo engineer has been named as the Northern Ireland Apprentice of the Year.
Lauren Johnston was recognised at the NI Apprenticeship Awards 2022 which shine a light on the contribution that NI’s 10,000 apprentices make to their workplace environments.
Lauren, who has been developing her skillset as a mechatronic engineer, has completed her first year in Engineering Maintenance L3 apprenticeship studies with the South Eastern Regional College.
Diageo has a significant economic footprint in NI with three sites including Baileys Global Supply at Mallusk, corporate head offices in Belfast city centre and the beer packaging facility in east Belfast. The company has been a consistent provider of apprenticeships for young people with a particular focus on promoting STEM and inclusivity, with Belfast Packaging committed to further engineering and operator apprentice recruitment in 2022.
Deirdre Delaney, head of operations at Belfast Packaging in east Belfast, said: ““Women have been traditionally underrepresented within engineering, but to have Lauren win this award is indicative of a changing dynamic within the industry and we hope that she will go on to have a long and successful career. Championing inclusion and diversity and leveraging the broadest range of backgrounds and skills is a key corporate priority and integral to our Spirit of Progress ambition to create a more inclusive and sustainable world.”
Lauren added: “It is a great honour to have received this award on behalf of so many apprenticeships who are making an important contribution to workplaces throughout Northern Ireland and I would like to thank my colleagues at Diageo who have given me great support.
