Innovative young engineer crowned Scotland’s Apprentice of the Year 2026

A promising young engineer from Aberdeenshire is leading a roster of talented apprentices driving Scotland’s future workforce - and looking forward to a bright future in the industry.

Fraser Bruce, 28, has been named Scotland's Apprentice of the Year at the 2026 Scottish Apprenticeship Awards, in association with Scottish Power Energy Networks.

The awards celebrate the incredible apprentices working to become part of the next generation of Scottish talent, along with employers and learning providers who champion and support that vision.

Fraser, from Inverbervie, took home the coveted honour, as well as Graduate Apprentice of the Year.

During his Graduate Apprenticeship at JFD Ltd, Fraser led the delivery of more than £2.2 million of commercial diving and defence products.

He has also been listed as an inventor on a patent application after developing a prototype demonstrator to automatically calculate the escape time in a distressed submarine, which has huge potential to save lives in real-world applications.

The prototype of his invention - created as part of his final dissertation at Heriot Watt University - has an anticipated accuracy of more than 90% compared to the current manual method, which has an accuracy of 41%.

Fraser, who previously completed a Modern Apprenticeship with Michelin Tyres in Dundee, said: “Doing the Graduate Apprenticeship enabled me to align my academic studies with real-world experience and participate in the submarine project.

“I was extremely proud to be named as an inventor when the patent on the prototype demonstrator was filed - it’s something engineers dream of.”

Since completing his Graduate Apprenticeship in Engineering: Design and Manufacture (Electronic) with a first-class honours,