Congratulations, Ollie Macvarish: Mechanical Apprentice of the Year
Ollie Macvarish, Electrical Design Apprentice at Dennis Eagle
Furthering our business’ success at the MGTS Apprenticeship Awards earlier this year, which saw Sean Williams named Advanced Graduate Apprentice of the Year and us achieve the Employer Recognition Award, recognising our exceptional commitment and outstanding contributions to engineering apprenticeships, the exciting news continues with Ollie’s most recent win.
Ollie first joined Dennis Eagle in August 2024 as an Electrical Design Apprentice. During this time, he spent his first year at MGTS excelling at completing his off-the-job training, admirable dedication which earned him this prestigious award. Now back at Dennis Eagle, Ollie is spending his second year on our shop floor working within all areas of the business and putting his new skills into practice, enabling him to gain as much experience as possible across a wide range of disciplines. With the support of his manager, Neil Peters, and mentors Dan Birch and Owen Moorman, all of whom started out life at Dennis Eagle as apprentices, Ollie now has a further two years left to complete his own apprenticeship.
“Winning this award is a huge achievement and one I’m really proud of,” said Ollie. “It’s great to see the work I’ve put into my apprenticeship turn into something significant. My time at Dennis Eagle so far has allowed me to get experience across the whole of our shop floor and gain a strong understanding of how our electrical design processes contribute to wider production. I look forward to continuing this very interesting work over the next few years.”
Harness Design Lead Neil Peters with Electrical Design Apprentice Ollie Macvarish
Bridging the skills gap
The awards evening itself took place on Thursday 4th December at the Sphinx Sports and Social Club in Coventry, an occasion primed to celebrate the achievements of engineering apprentices, mentors, and employers alike. This aimed to recognise the many benefits of working together collaboratively to build up the skills, knowledge, and confidence of the next generation of talent.
“Ollie has proven himself to be a star of the future at Dennis Eagle,” said Richard McArdle, Production Coordinator, Dennis Eagle. “He has completed all tasks asked of him to a very high standard and shown great initiative in all areas of the shop floor. Ollie retains information extremely well and has taken a very proactive approach to his learning.”
Dennis Eagle has worked with educational charity MGTS for more than 30 years offering engineering apprenticeship opportunities. Over 50 apprentices to date have received training through the partnership, which has resulted in many progressing onto senior roles within our business, a testament to the diverse and long-term career paths available at Dennis Eagle.
“With the UK skills shortage in engineering and manufacturing only continuing to grow, it is essential we take advantage of any opportunities to develop and nurture talent, passing on the critical knowledge so vital to our industry’s success,” said Jen Booker, HR Director, Dennis Eagle. “We have always been passionate about the importance of apprenticeships and ensure our cohort is given hands-on experience and excellent support from our highly skilled mentors, providing them a good insight into the variety of engineering and manufacturing roles that are available today.”
“For anyone looking to take on an apprenticeship at Dennis Eagle, I’d say to go for it,” added Ollie. “It’s important to make sure you work hard from start to finish, but don’t rush things – you need to remember you’re still learning and as long as you take the time to understand what you’re doing and how, you’ll be equipped to do the best job you can.”
