Mentor who's helping improve apprenticeships wins big at ICE North West Awards

A mentor who's helping Skills England improve construction apprenticeships has impressed the judges at this year's ICE North West Awards.

ICE Fellow Colin Buckle received the Mentor Award for his wide impact on the industry.

From mentoring anyone who needs support to training other mentors, Buckle's commitment made him a deserving winner.

Alongside his direct reports, Buckle guides apprentices and managers from other businesses and local universities.

His free online sessions, which anyone can join, explore his journey as a line manager and supervising civil engineer (SCE), and provide a forum for people to learn from one another.

As a result of his efforts, Buckle was recently appointed to the Skills England Construction Apprenticeship Assessment Reform Taskforce.

People award winners

Rising Star Award – apprentices and technicians

The Rising Star Award for apprentices and technicians went to Mohamed Amin.

Having no exposure to engineering growing up, Amin works to inspire others.

Presenting to over 100 students who had never heard of civil engineering was a standout moment for Amin, reinforcing the importance of visibility and representation within the industry.

Jason Kelly was highly commended in this category.

Rising Star Award - graduates

The Rising Star Award for graduates went to Cara Davidson.

Davidson was the sole construction supervisor on the £110m Bolton Wastewater Treatment Works upgrade, where she supported the construction and commissioning of innovative technologies that reduce energy use.

She also led an initiative that introduced rainwater harvesting for jet washing operations at Davyhulme Treatment Works, saving up to 5,000 litres of drinking water per day. This is now being replicated at other sites.

STEM Ambassador Award

Charlotte Osborne won the STEM Ambassador Award for inspiring wider change and creating a positive legacy.

She organises work experience placements where students complete project tasks, receive tailored feedback and have exposure to live projects.

Teachers have reported that students leave feeling more confident and with a clear understanding of civil engineering careers.

In her workplace, Osborne embeds STEM engagement directly into project-related social value commitments – ensuring outreach is a core part of project delivery.

Project award winners

Constructability Award

The Isle of Man Ferry Terminal won the Constructability Award.

The project team created a fit-for-purpose terminal that elevates passenger experience, strengthens commuter connectivity and allows for future expansion.

The project stood out for its development of a new fender installation technique and collaborative approach.

Future Resilience Award

The Future Resilience Award went to Lower Risk Debris Screens for transforming ageing infrastructure (such as culverts) into future-proof assets while working in flood-prone watercourses and residential areas.

Through collaborative problem solving, sustainable design and community enhancement, they delivered flood protection that will strengthen local environments and improve lives for generations.

The Greater Manchester Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) Design Guidance was highly commended in this category.

Small Project Award

Greenbooth to Ashworth Moor Pipeline won the Small Project Award for schemes under £5m for helping to avoid potential water shortages to the town of Rochdale.

In just four months, the project team designed and constructed a 2km pipeline and floating pumping station from Greenbooth Reservoir to Ashworth Moor Reservoir, plus associated treatment works.

The design repurposed an abandoned culvert for half the pipeline route, reducing environmental impact and embedded carbon.

Once operational, the scheme allowed reservoir stocks to recover and guaranteed uninterrupted service during severe dry weather.

Withington Public Realm was highly commended in this category.

Medium Project Award

Pear Tree High School, Stockport, received the Medium Project Award for schemes between £5m and £20m.

To create a fully accessible Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) learning environment for 133 students, all partners worked as a team, including the co-headteacher of the school who actively shaped key design decisions.

This inclusive approach ensured every detail – from corridor colours to specialist teaching spaces – was guided by an expert who understood the needs of the students.

Large Project Award

The Large Project Award for schemes over £20m went to Wigan to Bolton Railway Electrification.

The project brought together organisations from across the industry to deliver increased connectivity, greater reliability and longer electric trains – allowing for greener electrified services.

They also embraced new approaches to design that broke the cycle of costly and disruptive overbridge replacements through minimum viable product techniques.

Network Rail asked for the project approach to be shared as best practice, and it’s now used as a standard on larger electrification projects.

Isle of Man Ferry Terminal was highly commended in this category.

Mercer Innovation Award

The Mercer Innovation Award went to the A59 Corridor Improvements between Dodds Lane and the West Lancashire boundary.

The use of Dowfoam within the project – a foamed bitumen stabilised material – made it stand out to the judges. Its use demonstrated a high level of innovation by the project team.

The 2026 ICE North West Awards were sponsored by Mott MacDonald, Tensar, Temporary Works Forum (TWf), Civic, Murphy, Sutcliffe, Ardent and Dowhigh.

Find out more about the winners