A talented young design engineer has been awarded 'Apprentice of the Year' at the Insider Made in Northern Ireland Awards, which were recently held at Belfast's Titanic Museum.

Luke Rushe, who is employed by Lisburn-based conveyor belting manufacturer Smiley Monroe and is a second-year Higher Level Apprentice studying for a Foundation Degree in Engineering (Technical Design & Manufacture) at Southern Regional College, claimed the honours by overcoming stiff competition from four other finalists.

Speaking on his win, Luke said: "It was amazing to even be nominated for the award. Sitting there at the awards ceremony, I thought my chances of winning were slim to none, so when I heard my name called out it was a real shock.  I honestly didn’t think I was going to win."

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When selecting the winner for Apprentice of the Year, judges were on the lookout for the individual who showed the greatest achievement, contribution to their employer’s business and overall potential.

Luke mainly works in the product development team at Smiley Monroe but also supports the manufacturing engineering team. His role involves designing new products, improving existing products and supporting day-to-day engineering tasks.

In awarding Luke with the Apprentice of the Year title, the judges were hugely impressed with his skill levels, as well as his enthusiasm and determination. This was exemplified by him going into the workplace each week showing new sketches and prototypes he made at home.

As the Northern Ireland regional winner, Luke will now progress to the 'Made In the UK Awards' national event which takes place on Thursday, June 19 in Liverpool.