Philip Rotherham receiving his Award from HRH The Princess Royal, with Master Engineer Andrew McNaughton, at the Engineers Trust Awards Dinner on 9 June 2026

Winner 2026 (Medal & £1000 Prize) – Philip Rotherham

Philip Rotherham is an exceptional engineering educator who demonstrates passion for inspiring young people both within, and far beyond, his responsibilities. As a former time-served apprentice himself, he brings a deep personal understanding of the challenges and experiences of young engineers. Having begun his career in 1982 as a ground equipment engineer at RAF Brize Norton, he has spent over 40 years applying, teaching and championing the value of hands-on engineering training across all three branches of the Armed Forces.

Since joining Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) apprentice training in 2009, Philip has led and transformed multiple engineering apprenticeship schemes across the UK. He designed and launched the DE&S Nuclear Engineering Degree Apprenticeship in response to skill shortages nationally, a programme so successful it expanded to weapons systems in 2017 and defence aerospace in 2018. His outstanding leadership in this area earned him a ministerial commendation. He later introduced a Digital and Cyber stream, which has become one of the most demanded pathways at DE&S due to its high relevance to emerging technical challenges In the UK Defence sector.

Across his career, Philip has directly shaped the training of over 600 young/aspiring engineers who now contribute to major defence programmes including AJAX, T45, F35 and ASTUTE. The schemes he created are also recognised as the most successful, with retention rates above 95%, over 25% female participation and consistently high demand from customers. His sphere of influence also extends across industry and government, where he is regarded as a subject matter expert in engineering apprenticeships. This sees Philip being invited to advise universities, private companies and government departments on programme design and development.

Crucially for this award, Philip’s commitment to inspiring young engineers goes far beyond his day-to-day role. He personally prepares and encourages apprentices to return to their former education institutions to promote engineering careers, increasing applications from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. He volunteers substantial personal time to planning engineering outreach events, mentoring students and producing materials to support engineering pathways. This can be demonstrated by his recent creation of a plaque to commemorate the former CEO who was also on an apprenticeship scheme, which now remains in prime position at the DE&S Abbey ood headquarters.

Since 2012, Philip has voluntarily led the Tom Nevard Memorial Competition, modernising a traditional and long-standing practical engineering challenge into a multi-disciplinary event that develops project management, leadership and problem-solving skills. His vision broadened participation to apprentices from multiple professions, ensuring the competition remains relevant to modern engineering and included a new digital based challenge based on the evolving cyber threats faced by defence. His contribution has been so influential that the mechanical challenge has been renamed in his honour to the Rotherham challenge (which will be presented at this year’s event).

Philip’s dedication, creativity and personal commitment have inspired hundreds of young people to pursue engineering careers. His work exemplifies the spirit of the Stephenson Award: sustained, demonstrable success in encouraging young people into engineering, delivered not only through his professional excellence, but also voluntary passion and service to the next generation.

The Stephenson Award is for those who have been particularly successful in encouraging young people to study engineering with an emphasis, but not exclusively, on mechanical engineering. In 1997, members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers made donations to fund a Worshipful Company of Engineers Loving Cup to mark the Institution’s 150th Anniversary. Donations in excess of those needed for the Loving Cup were used to establish the Stephenson Award and further donations were received from members in later years, supplemented by a substantial grant from Rolls-Royce plc. The Engineers’ Company acknowledges the assistance of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the EDT (formerly the Engineering Development Trust) with nominations for this Award.

The Worshipful Company of Engineers Charitable Trust (the Engineers Trust) promotes the contributions of engineers to benefit society, education and research, and the relief of hardship and poverty.

Award photo courtesy of Mark Witter Photography