The 23-year-old from Worcestershire beat off strong competition to win the overall award having earlier been named the UK’s Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by MBDA UK Ltd, at the Semta Skills Awards 2017 gala dinner in London’s Hilton Hotel on Park Lane hosted by BBC presenter Alexander Armstrong.
Her victory underlines the critical role that qualifications play for employees and employers ensuring that skills are both robust and transferable.
Through no fault of her own, Ms Dressler-Pearson had to bounce back from redundancy during the third year of her apprenticeship and found a new position with Southco Manufacturing in Worcester. Although the business and work was very different, through sheer hard work and determination she completed her Level 3 qualifications and Foundation Degree without any deferment or interruption.
“This is an incredible honour,” said Ms Dressler-Pearson. “I started my apprenticeship four years ago and after 18 months the company I previously worked for went into administration. Being told we were all going to be redundant was devastating.
“I picked myself up – my training provider and college were incredible. Southco came along, we bonded, I went in for an interview and the rest is history. I would say to anyone be enthusiastic, enjoy what you do and you will succeed.”
Nick Bennett, engineering manager at Southco commented: “Philippa has shown an enthusiasm, dynamism and a desire to learn and be the best. She has been supporting the rest of our apprentices, and helped produce an induction programme for engineers which has gone global.”
Ms Dressler-Pearson has supported her department by taking the design engineering and project leader role in many high value modification projects. To date, the value of her projects exceeds €1.5 million, making a significant contribution to the company.
She has also been heavily involved in organising several charity events and is passionate about showing students, teachers and parents that apprenticeships are a great route into a career.
Ann Watson, CEO of Semta added: “Philippa is a very deserving overall winner of the Semta Skills Awards and is an inspirational role model for others. To put the disappointment of redundancy behind her, find a new employer and then excel in the role shows a fantastic attitude and determination to succeed.
“Without a recognised qualification Philippa may well have struggled to prove her ability and get another job. Semta is campaigning for qualifications to be included in new Trailblazer Apprenticeships – to avoid industrial chaos.”
Details of all winners and associated video material is available at the link below.
Semta http://semta.org.uk/skillsawards
