A structural engineering company has won a prestigious award for its strong track-record of employing apprentices.

Blue Engineering in Paul Street, Shoreditch, scooped the Small Employer of the Year award for London and the south east at this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards.

Half of the 20-strong team are either apprentices or were apprentices and the firm works on residential and commercial architectural projects, as well as in the arts. They have had projects at the Design Museum, the Tate Modern and have won awards for their residential work.

The company was chosen out of 800 entries and will now compete in the National Awards later this year.

James Nevin, partner at Blue Engineering, said apprenticeships were an integral part of the company.

He said: “They provide an invaluable framework for bright young minds to develop their skills through hands-on experience whilst they gain their qualifications.

“Apprenticeships have given us great competitive edge. They are not set in their ways and are especially adept with new technologies and software, which ensures that we are constantly at the forefront of new practices in our field.

“The true measure of success for us is what happens to our apprentices, and we are proud that those young people we invested in for so many years have completed their studies and are now working with us. The apprenticeship programme has also allowed us to grow in an organic, sustainable way.”