Engineering stars win regional awards

Civil and Coastal Engineering students, Tom Appleyard and Lucy Walker, have been celebrated by industry body, CECA
CECA SW award winners 2026 (including Lucy Walker and Tom Appleyard)

Engineering stars win regional awards

Civil and Coastal Engineering students, Tom Appleyard and Lucy Walker, have been celebrated by industry body, CECA
Matt Scott-Joynt

Two Civil and Coastal Engineering students from the University of Plymouth have been recognised at a prestigious awards ceremony celebrating the impact they made during their industrial placement years.
Tom Appleyard won the University of Plymouth Industrial Placement Award at the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) South West Awards, while Lucy Walker received a Highly Commended award.
The prizes were presented at the CECA South West ceremony in Torquay and recognise exceptional performance from students undertaking placements across the civil engineering sector.

A year of hands-on engineering success

Tom completed his placement year with Teignmouth Maritime Services, working on a range of marine and civil engineering projects.
His experience saw him move between office-based engineering work and challenging site environments. During the placement, he helped position and monitor piling operations, qualified in rope access, and took part in inspections of Brunel's iconic Royal Albert Bridge.
The judges praised Tom for embracing opportunities throughout his placement, continually pushing himself beyond his comfort zone and demonstrating confidence across a wide variety of engineering disciplines.

It feels fantastic to be recognised at these awards and it feels great to be able to share my experiences with everyone over the past year.

What I love most about working in contracting is probably working with big plants such as jack-up barges and boats, but I also really enjoy problem solving with a team and the feeling you get when you overcome a challenge in the workplace. 
Looking into the future, I’ll be finishing my degree with the University, and then going back to the company I was with on my placement year and gaining great experience with them.
What I’d say to anyone looking to get into civil engineering is ‘do it’ – there are great opportunities, really interesting challenges to tackle, and each day is different.
Tom Appleyard profile shot .jpg

Tom Appleyard 
 

Lucy Walker, who was highly commended at the CECA SW Awards 2026 Matt Scott-Joynt
Lucy Walker, who was highly commended at the CECA SW Awards 2026

Recognition for growth and professionalism

Lucy completed her placement year with Bridge Civil Engineering, where she worked as a Site Engineer across a broad range of projects.
Her role included setting out and surveying works, quality assurance checks, analysing construction drawings, calculating quantities, locating underground services and undertaking concrete testing. 
The award judges commended Lucy for providing a clear, confident and engaging account of her placement year, highlighting both the breadth of her experience and the personal development she demonstrated throughout.

To have won the Highly Commended award feels like a true acknowledgement of the dedication I put into my placement year, so I am very grateful to CECA for recognising it.

Working in the construction industry for a year gave me a great bank of knowledge of how things actually happen on site and my Civil and Coastal Engineering degree allowed me to learn the founding principles behind the practices on site. 
To anyone unsure about taking an engineering degree, civil or otherwise – if all you have is the interest, that is the best starting point and it will take you far; learning more about it at university level will grow that interest into a passion.
Lucy Walker profile shot .jpg

Lucy Walker 
 

Rising stars of the industry

Tom and Lucy are rising stars in our industry and are notable examples to others that with hard work, young people can excel and build lasting and meaningful careers in civil engineering construction.

From engineering, project management and finance to IT, marketing, site work or one of many other roles, the training and career development opportunities are huge for every talent and every background.
Abie CECA.jpg

Abie Hearn, CECA South West Chair
 

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