Business News
Proskills Recognises the Best New Talent at the 2008 Apprenticeship Awards
Wednesday 19. November 2008 - Print industry sees Four apprentices in finalists line-up
The brightest new talent from across the process and manufacturing sector has been recognised by sector skills council Proskills, at its 2008 Apprenticeship Awards Dinner, sponsored by Edge, the independent education foundation dedicated to raising the status of vocational and practical learning. The printing industry saw four of its brightest apprentices in the final line-up for the awards. Jonathon Straughton, an apprentice in flexographic printing at Alcan Packaging in Cumbria was highly commended in the category for Advanced Apprentice of the Year, with Jonathan Wilkinson, an apprentice in printing & graphic communications a finalist in this category. Print finishing apprentice Scott Clark from Charles Letts and Co, and Dayl Nimmo, a print apprentice from Mackay and Inglis were both finalists for the Apprentice of the Year award.
The top honour of the evening went to Adam Snowden, a Mechanical Engineer at Ibstock Brick Ltd, who was presented with the Advanced Apprentice of the Year award during the ceremony, which took place at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel, Warwickshire on the 13th November 2008. Sian Whitaker, a Customer Service Advisor for Dexter Paints Ltd was named Apprentice of the Year, while Achiever of the Year went to James Davidson of Havelock Europa plc, in recognition of his efforts during his apprenticeship in Making and Installing Production Furniture.
Commenting on the Apprenticeship Awards, Terry Watts, Chief Executive of Proskills said, “There is nothing more inspiring than to see bright new talent entering our industry as a result of the apprenticeship programme. We are all too aware of the challenge we face to address the skills gaps in our workforce, and by implementing successful apprenticeship programmes, we can grow our own talent from within, so our employees have the skills they really need, as well as ensuring that the invaluable knowledge of experienced staff is kept within the business and passed on to future generations.”
Advanced Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by the Glass Qualifcations Authority
– Adam Snowden (Ibstock Brick Ltd)
This year, the judges were looking for an inspirational apprentice that has made an outstanding contribution to both their workplace and their own personal development, including a demonstration of the ability to undertake new tasks and initiate new projects that will have a positive impact on the business as well as inspire others. The Advanced Apprentice of the Year 2008 was awarded to Adam Snowden.
A lack of job satisfaction and limited prospects prompted Adam Snowden to leave his job at the Inland Revenue to pursue a new challenging career as a Mechanical Engineer at Ibstock Brick Ltd.
Adam has embraced his new role at Ibstock Brick Ltd, where his main priority is to ensure the smooth running of the factory by monitoring and addressing machinery breakdowns to minimise production downtime. By undertaking daily and weekly checks of machinery as part of Ibstocks Total Production Management, and flagging up potential improvements, Adam has played a significant role in ensuring everything runs both economically and safely. Examples include introducing stock reduction, a new oil rotation procedure in the storeroom, and a reduction in production changeover times, which has resulted in higher machine uptime and greater productivity. He has also taken on the additional task of mentoring a young apprentice.
Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Quinn Glass
– Sian Whitaker, Dexter Paints Ltd
Sian started working for Dexter Paints Ltd after a short spell of work experience and the offer of an apprenticeship with the company. During her apprenticeship in customer service, Sian worked as a Customer Service Advisor for Dexter Paints Ltd, where she was responsible for order processing and planning delivery schedules as well as responding to product enquiries and assisting with market research to assist in sales development.
Sians key contribution was the creation of a central point of contact for all customer related enquiries, which led to an increase in customer satisfaction and client retention. According to Alan Sharples, Managing Director at Dexter Paints Ltd, “She is a credit to her generation. In an industry that finds it difficult to attract young and in particular female employees, Sian is a shining example of what can be achieved.”
Achiever of the Year sponsored by UNITE the Union
– James Davidson, Havelock Europa plc
A special mark of recognition and admiration, the Achiever of the Year is awarded to the candidate who the judges felt displayed true grit and determination in working towards learning goals, and has gone the extra mile to overcome adversity to get where they are today.
Achiever of the Year 2008 was awarded to James Davidson of Havelock Europa plc.
An adult apprentice, having just completed his apprenticeship in Making and Installing Production Furniture, James is a leading example to his peers at Havelock and challenges the traditional viewpoint that apprenticeships are only for youngsters. James responsibilities range from the interpretation of drawings and customer requirements, to the production of products and final quality control. He also supports other apprentices by acting as a mentor.
He joined Havelock Europa and took up the challenge of an apprenticeship later in his career following a series of jobs and redundancy, and has embraced the new opportunities provided by his apprenticeship which has enabled him to become a fully qualified tradesman. “We would like to actively recruit other adult apprentices into our organisation as a direct result of our experience with James,” added Paul Doleman, Group Production Director at Havelock Europa plc.
Commenting on the Awards, Mr Robert OShea, Chairman of the 2008 Apprentice Awards Review Panel said, “This year, not only have we seen a significant increase in the number of applications to our awards, we were also captivated by the variety and quality of the submissions. Whilst this certainly made the judging process challenging, it also demonstrated that apprenticeship schemes are still very much the way forward in providing a channel for young talent to develop their industry-specific skills, not only for their own career development, but also for the benefit of their employers.”
Full List of 2008 Award Winners, Highly Commended applicants and Finalists:
1) Advanced Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by the Glass Qualification Authority)
Winner: Adam Snowden, Ibstock Brick Ltd
Highly Commended: Jonathon Straughton, Alcan Packaging (Apprenticeship in Flexographic Printing)
Andrew Smith, Pilkington European Technical Centre
2) Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by Quinn Glass)
Winner: Sian Whitaker, Dexter Paints Ltd
Highly Commended: Karl Robinson, John Knight Glazing (Apprenticeship in Glazing Installation)
Claire Masterson, Barton Products(Apprenticeship in Wood Machining)
3) Achiever of the Year (Sponsored by UNITE the Union)
Winner: James Davidson, Havelock Europa plc
4) Other Finalists:
Scott Clark, Charles Letts & Co (Apprenticeship in Print Finishing)
Dayl Nimmo, Mackay and Inglis (Apprenticeship in Printing)
Jonathan Wilkinson, Chesapeake Branded Packaging (Apprenticeship in Machine Printing)