Limerick student wins Engineering Apprentice of the Year award

LIMERICK'S Jodie Whyte, is joint winner of the Engineering Apprentice of the Year award.

The Murroe student is an apprentice on the Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Galway city.

She was honoured at the National Apprentice of the Year Awards 2024 held in the Mansion House, Dublin.

Jodie, is in the fourth year of her studies in ATU Galway City and is an employee of Johnson and Johnson Vision Care in Limerick. “I am deeply honoured to have received this award in the Engineering category, and I strongly encourage more women to pursue the apprenticeship route, especially in STEM fields," said Jodie.

Barry Comerford, Advisory Board Member, Freudenberg Medical, and Chair of Ibec’s Manufacturing Engineering Apprenticeship Consortium, says: “We celebrated the nomination of 400 apprentices out of a pool of 28,400 potential candidates across 77 disciplines. This year, I had the honour of judging and then, presenting awards to the 17 category winners. I took special pride in presenting the Engineering - Apprentice of the year to Jodie, an inspirational winner with a very promising future ahead”.

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Emma Condon, Manufacturing Engineering Team Lead at Johnson & Johnson Visioncare, says: "I am thrilled to celebrate Jodie’s achievement. Her remarkable development and contribution to the company has truly set her apart. Winning the Engineering -Apprentice of the Year award is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and innovative spirit. We are excited to see the continued impact Jodie will have as she grows in her career."

Trish Breen of Ibec and consortium project manager of the apprenticeship, says: “On behalf of the consortium, we are delighted to see Jodie winning an apprentice award that is so well deserved. The Manufacturing Engineering Apprenticeships are going from strength to strength, with the new Level 8 B Eng (Hons) in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering apprenticeship underway since September this year, and Jodie as part of the first group to participate in year 4 of this new industry-led programme.”

Dr Paul O’Dowd, chair of the programme says: “We in ATU are very proud of Jodie’s achievement. She is an exceptional student who is also making a major impact in her company. This award is recognition of the high standard of our new Level 8 engineering degree by apprenticeship mode. ATU Galway City is the consortium’s Co-ordinating Academic Provider and has led the development of this programme in collaboration with partners in our Sligo campus, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Munster Technological University (MTU) and in high-tech industry”.