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Inspirational charity presents QinetiQ with the Team of the Year Award

28-10-2021

QinetiQ has just received the 2021 Team of the Year Award from the Jon Egging Trust (JET), a charity that supports young people overcome adversity and develop core competencies to help them to fulfil their true potential. Set up by Dr Emma Egging OBE in the name of her late husband, a former Red Arrow pilot who tragically lost his life at the 2011 Bournemouth Air Show, the charity presented a series of awards at its 2021 Annual Dinner held at RAF Coningsby.

The Team of the Year Award was presented to QinetiQ for its “progressive and outstanding” support for JET’s programmes across Wiltshire and neighbouring areas. “The volunteers from QinetiQ embody the charity’s core values of Inspiration, Leadership, Communication and Teamwork and, despite the challenges arising from the pandemic, they really have gone the extra mile to support the charity’s work,” says Dr Egging. “Their unwavering commitment to our cause and direct involvement in our Blue Skies Inspire Programmes (BSIP) have been exceptional. We have been able to expand our reach into new schools as a result of QinetiQ’s funding and support for a new JET Regional Manager post.”

This year, the JET Annual Dinner marked the charity’s tenth anniversary and included insightful presentations from some of the 30,000 young people who have benefitted from its early intervention approach and its unique motivational, inspirational and confidence-building programmes. The charity is now aiming to use its accredited learning programmes to help 1 million youngsters over the next decade by providing them with access to inspirational role models and life-changing opportunities in the world of engineering, aviation and science.

“The Annual Dinner provided a great opportunity to celebrate the charity’s wonderful work,’ adds Jane Mercer, QinetiQ’s Director of Programmes Air and Space. “It really was an honour to collect the award in recognition of the team’s work in support of JET and, in particular, for the sterling contribution of Christina Wagstaff, Sam Healy and Chris Blakeborough over the past two and a half years.”

QinetiQ’s STEM ambassadors have worked with the JET team for many years preparing sessions for the Blue Skies and BSIP programmes and they recently invited representatives from JET to share their experiences and expertise with them.  Such initiatives are closely aligned with the principles of collaboration, knowledge sharing and mutual understanding that underpin JET’s programmes to inspire future generations.