In a continued demonstration of engineering apprenticeship excellence, Cummins Daventry has retained the Gold ‘Excellent Employer’ status in the Next Gen Makers Engineering Apprenticeships: Employer Accreditation for the third year in a row.
The recognition marks another important milestone for one of the UK’s most significant power systems manufacturing sites.
Based in Daventry, Cummins is home to a U.K. power systems plant, U.K. Logistics Centre and service training school, supporting advanced engineering, manufacturing and logistics capability from the heart of Northamptonshire.
For Next Gen Makers, Cummins Daventry’s continued accreditation is a strong example of what it means to move beyond simply employing apprentices, towards building a structured, supportive and high-quality environment in which young engineers can develop the technical confidence, workplace behaviours and long-term career skills needed by modern industry.
A rigorous, apprentice-led measure of excellence
The Next Gen Makers Engineering Apprenticeships: Employer Accreditation – backed by national manufacturing organisation Make UK – is designed to recognise employers that are committed to creating outstanding apprenticeship experiences.
The process is intentionally grounded in the lived experience of current engineering apprentices, with apprentice feedback forming the most influential part of the assessment.
This matters because a strong apprenticeship scheme cannot be judged by policy documents alone. It must be judged by whether apprentices feel supported, stretched, listened to and equipped to progress.
Cummins Daventry’s ability to retain Gold status for a third consecutive year demonstrates consistency, not just a one-off achievement.
Gold ‘Excellent Employer’ status is reserved for companies that demonstrate a high standard of apprentice experience, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a clear focus on building the next generation of engineering talent.
Engineering talent at the heart of power systems manufacturing
Cummins Daventry provides an exceptional backdrop for engineering apprenticeships. The site assembles 38 litre and above engines for a wide range of applications, and the design, manufacture and distribution of advanced high horsepower engines requires a highly diverse technical team, from apprentices through to PhD-level engineers.
The engines and generator sets associated with Daventry support demanding applications across sectors including marine, mining, oil and gas, rail, commercial power, data centres, cogeneration and healthcare.
For an apprentice, this means learning in an environment where engineering has direct relevance to critical infrastructure and global industry.
That combination of scale, technical complexity and real-world application is what makes Cummins Daventry such a powerful training environment.
Apprentices are not only learning engineering principles; they are seeing how those principles translate into products and systems that customers rely on around the world.
A workplace that connects manufacturing, logistics and sustainability
Cummins’ Daventry presence also includes the U.K. Logistics Centre, described by the company as its first cross-business operations hub. The 435,000 sq. ft. centre consolidates storage capacity previously spread across Cummins and third-party warehouses, supporting both U.K. manufacturing sites and aftermarket products.
This gives apprentices and early-career engineers exposure to a broader view of modern engineering operations: not only how products are designed and manufactured, but how supply chains, service, distribution and customer responsiveness are coordinated at scale.
The site also reflects the increasing importance of sustainability within engineering. As part of Cummins’ Planet 2050 strategy, the U.K. Logistics Centre has achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating, placing it in the top 1% of UK non-domestic buildings for sustainability performance. Its features include PV solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric vehicle charging points for employees.
Retaining accreditation sends a clear signal to future apprentices
For young people considering an engineering apprenticeship, employer choice matters. A strong brand can attract attention, but accreditation helps provide reassurance that an employer has invested in the apprentice experience itself.
Cummins Daventry’s repeated Gold recognition sends a clear signal to students, parents, schools and colleges: this is an employer that takes engineering apprenticeships seriously and is prepared to be measured against external best practice.
It also reinforces the value of long-term commitment. Retaining accreditation requires continued focus, continued listening and continued improvement.
In a sector where skills shortages remain a major challenge, that consistency is exactly what engineering and manufacturing employers need to build sustainable talent pipelines.
Megan Hill, Manufacturing Engineer at Cummins Daventry comments: “At Cummins, we have been running the apprenticeship for over 20 years, and we have been working with Next Gen Makers for the past 4 years. This accreditation gives us both guidance and reassurance that we are providing the strongest possible foundation for our apprentices to become the best they can be.
“Part of this is that our mentorship program is lead by previous apprentices which allows the apprentices to relate to them a lot more, facilitating a much closer working relationship.”
Hill described both the Best Practice Programme and Accreditation as very valuable, adding: “We are able to get feedback from our apprentices which we can action to improve our apprenticeship and increase their happiness.”
What this means for engineering and manufacturing employers
Cummins Daventry’s success offers several important lessons for employers looking to strengthen their own apprenticeship schemes:
1. Put the apprentice voice at the centre. The most effective schemes create regular, honest feedback loops and act on what apprentices say about their learning, wellbeing and workplace experience.
2. Connect learning to real work. Apprentices thrive when they can see how classroom knowledge and technical training apply to meaningful engineering challenges.
3. Build consistency over time. Retaining Gold status for three consecutive years shows that excellence is a sustained commitment, not a campaign.
4. Link early careers to business strategy. Cummins Daventry’s apprenticeship approach sits within a wider environment of manufacturing capability, logistics performance and future-focused power systems engineering.
Next Gen Makers: raising the bar across the UK
At Next Gen Makers, our mission is to help engineering and manufacturing companies transition from employing apprentices to becoming excellent employers. The Engineering Apprenticeships: Employer Accreditation provides a clear framework for benchmarking, improvement and recognition, while giving young people greater confidence when choosing where to begin their engineering careers.
Cummins Daventry’s third consecutive Gold recognition is a proud moment for the company, for its apprentices and for the wider engineering apprenticeship community.
It demonstrates that when employers invest in people, listen to apprentices and build high-quality training environments, they strengthen both their own future workforce and the reputation of engineering careers more broadly.