Josh Garguilo joined SSTL as an Apprentice Lab Technician in 2014 and was presented with the IET's Retired Members Section (RMS) Student Excellence 2018 Award on Monday 13th May along with a cash prize of £100 from the local IET network.
During his Apprenticeship, Josh completed two years of additional study at BTEC Level 3 in electrical and electronic Engineering and has continued his studies up to HND alongside a Level 4 NVQ. Josh has worked on a number of spacecraft at SSTL, recently working on the propulsion system, wheels and gyros for the EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite. He has recently progressed to Test Engineer with the Power team at SSTL and has been working on the power system for ASTROSCALE's ELSA-d Chaser spacecraft.
Peter Bennison, Chairman of the RMS of the IET Solent region, said: “Josh had a superb recommendation and I’m sure he will enjoy the fruits of his labour. I think it’s really wonderful, certainly he has attained very high academic results and he has a fantastic attitude. That to me is one of the most important things that anyone could have. If you can maintain that then that’s the secret to achieve success in life.”
Josh studied for his HNC at Highbury College in Portsmouth.
Josh has enjoyed his Apprenticeship and says" I knew I didn’t want to go to university, and with apprenticeships, there’s not as much onus on exams, which I personally have struggled with sitting in the past. Coursework-based assessments and less formal exams are far easier for me to manage and approach. It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done and I couldn’t have imagined progressing my career in any other way."