A STUDENT has proved herself one of the top engineers in the country after scooping two prestigious awards and saving her company a fortune.

Stephanie McGovern, 19, from Acklam, near Middlesbrough, revolutionised the production of Black & Decker's Leafhog garden tool in her gap year working for the company on the Year in Industry scheme.

Now she has beaten the best young engineers from around the country to win the Engineering Employer's Federation Contribution to the Business Award, and has also taken the Working in Industry Award at the Young Engineers for Britain national finals.

During her year at Black & Decker, in Spennymoor, County Durham, Stephanie led a project under the guidance of her mentor, Ray Laverick, to increase quality and production of the Leafhog for the US market.

Her ideas not only improved productivity, but saved the company more than £150,000.

Her project was so successful, it is now being used as a training resource in the US arm of Black & Decker