Leeds Manufacturing Festival  was delighted to be shortlisted as a finalist for the  Enginuity Skills Awards 2026, recognising the festival's commitment to inspiring the next generation to explore careers in manufacturing and engineering.

Described as the ‘Oscars of Skills’, the awards honour the achievements of students, apprentices, employers, educators and collaborative teams shaping the future of UK engineering and manufacturing

The Enginuity Alliance Collaboration Award, for which the Leeds Manufacturing Festival was shortlisted, recognises outstanding partnerships that tackle the key skills challenges facing the engineering and manufacturing sector through collaboration, innovation and shared impact.

Sponsored by the University Vocational Awards Council, the award recognises the key role that  engineering and manufacturing have to play in economic growth, technological innovation, and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

It also recognises the significant workforce challenge facing engineering and manufacturing and the need to bring together employers, education, training providers and other stakeholders to ensure the sector has people with the right skills, in the right place and at the right time

If current training rates do not increase, it is estimated that the UK will have a shortfall of one million engineers by 2030. At the same time, the clean energy transition is creating unprecedented opportunities. Around 40,000 people are currently employed in the UK’s renewable energy sector, with that workforce expected to grow to 100,000 by 2030.

LMF representatives attended the awards ceremony in London where they joined organisations from across the UK in celebrating the inspiring individuals and outstanding initiatives making a real difference to the future of our sector.

We were delighted to be joined by Fiona McGarry, formerly of Enginuity and now working as regional director for the South of England with Make UK, and Olivia Lane who is a mechatronics apprentice with Amazon in Doncaster.

Olivia, pictured (bottom right) with Kshamya Mittal from Schneider Electric, picked up two awards on the evening for Advanced Level Apprentice of the Year and the overall Best of British Engineering Award. Passionate about widening access, Olivia is involved in promoting engineering apprenticeships as a rewarding route into industry, especially for women and high-achieving students considering alternatives to university. 

>>> Meet all the finalists at the 2026 Enginuity Skills Awards