Offshore Electronics duo win CGI awards

The industry organisation has two awards offered annually, a training bursary and the Peter Budwin Award, introduced last year in memory of the founder director and past-chairman of the CGI, to recognise the efforts of a young individual in a member firm.

George van der Tang and Dom O'Brien from Offshore Electronics were successful in the awards for 2015.

Mr van der Tang, 22, a test engineer, completed his HNC qualifications in the summer and was named winner of the Peter Budwin Award. He had previously received backing through the CGI bursary – a £2,000 award which goes to the employer – for a course which saw him fly to the UK once a week for four years.

His work involves electronic testing, fault finding and writing software for automated tests for the company, which manufactures and exports electronics for suppliers as far away as South Africa and the USA.

His manager, Giles Cleal, said that Mr van der Tang had grown in his role as an engineer in the firm and was now at a stage where he was able to take duties off his manager.

The company looks to take on one apprentice test engineer each year, including Mr O'Brien, 21, who joined three years ago and is now pursuing HNC qualifications, having completed his ONC training.

He was put forward for the bursary, which, for the first time, the firm will pursue through open learning rather than by travelling to college in the UK.