Outstanding local construction and manufacturing apprentices have been recognised for their efforts and abilities at a virtual awards ceremony held as part of Plymouth’s National Apprenticeship Week 2022.
The Awards were led jointly by Building Plymouth and the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group (PMG), with nominations submitted by local employers and training providers, with 46 finalist apprentices celebrated, and 7 overall winners presented top awards.
Emma Jarvis was awarded the prestigious Building Plymouth Construction Technical
Apprentice of the Year 2022. Emma is undertaking a Higher Level 4 in Building Services Engineering Technician with engineering consultant Services Design Solutions (SDS) and Exeter College.
On winning her award Emma Jarvis at SDS said: “I am thrilled to have won these awards! The support I have received from my employer SDS has been fantastic and I would like to make a special mention to my mentor Johnathan Bradbury for his guidance over the last two years. I would also like to thank Exeter College, who provide a brilliant opportunity and learning space. Congratulations to all the fellow nominees including my colleague Sam Goodwin.”
Nominator Mark Plant, Regional Director at SDS said: “We are delighted for Emma, it’s fantastic to see her hard work recognised by way of this award. We do hope Emma’s achievement inspires other women to join our fantastic construction industry where there are amazing career opportunities.”
Ellis Mitchell was next up, winning the highly respected Ron Simmonds Construction Trade Apprentice of the Year 2022 Award. Ellis is undertaking an Intermediate Level 2 in Carpentry with Classic Builders and City College Plymouth. Ellis said: “I feel extremely lucky to have accepted this award. I would like to thank Classic Builders for the wide range of opportunities they have placed in front of me so far. I’d also like to thank Fred Bennetton for taking me on and Kevin Hendy for continuous belief in me.”
Nominated by Lewis Tolputt, Business Development Manager at Classic Builders said: “We’re incredibly proud of Ellis’ and for winning this award. He’s a valued member of the Classic Builders team and his dedication to going the extra mile and helping those around him is faultless. We have no doubt that this is just the first of many awards Ellis will win during his career.”
The first of the PMG Apprentice Awards was that of the Manufacturing Rising Star Apprentice for 2022 - this was awarded to Daniel Rowe of Groeneveld UK who is undertaking a Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Apprenticeship with Cornwall College. Daniel said on winning his award, “It meant so much to me that my company had put me through to the apprentice awards but then to find out that I had won... WOW! Reading what my company had to say about me gave me a real confidence boost and I would have been glad just knowing what the company thinks about me so that was its own little award within itself.
This apprenticeship has been amazing and I’ve really enjoyed every bit of the engineering work and environment. Since Bob became my mentor I have learnt so much and have gained many skills so I couldn’t have done it without him. I look forward to learning new things in the future and progressing in my apprenticeship.”
Leanne Chubb, HR Officer at Groeneveld UK enthused about Daniel’s work ethic and said, “Dan is enthusiastic and always willing to learn new skills, he has a positive attitude towards work and ready to take up any new challenges that are put to him. Dan is highly professional, makes suggestions for improvement, but never forgets the importance of fun!
One could say Dan is “doing his job” but what makes a difference “is the way he does it”; the compassion he shows for others and his commitment and attitude, he is Groeneveld’s ‘rising star’ for the future. We are delighted that Dan has achieved this award it is well deserved and we look forward to watching Dan progress further within the business.”
Recognising the importance of business roles in the manufacturing and engineering industry, the next award announced was for the PMG Business Rising Star Apprentice for 2022. This went to Liam Spence of Babcock International who, as a Commercial Apprentice with City College Plymouth, is undertaking an Operational / Departmental Manager pathway. Liam said, “Winning this Rising Star award makes me feel very proud to work for an organisation like Babcock. Just being shortlisted as a finalist is an achievement, but to win is fantastic. I am very excited to see what the future holds with Babcock, both within my apprenticeship scheme and beyond, as I continue to learn and build my career.”
Emma Willingham, Babcock’s Head of Commercial Governance at its Devonport Facility, said: “Liam is a credit to the apprentice scheme at Babcock and it is especially rewarding for him to have won as we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week. We are very impressed with his commitment and personal accountability to progress his development, and delighted that Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group has awarded him this year’s ‘Business Rising Star’ Apprentice, a fantastic achievement that he is quite rightly very proud of.”
The next PMG Award celebrates those who are close to finishing their apprenticeship or have recently completed it. This year, the standard was so high in the category of PMG Manufacturing Final Year Apprentice, that the judges could not choose between two apprentices and therefore joint winners were declared. They were Lauren Gage of BD, who is following a Level 3 Mechatronics apprenticeship pathway with Cornwall College and James Wood of MB Aerospace, who is undertaking a Level 4 Apprenticeship as an Engineering Manufacturing Technician at Exeter College.
Lauren said of her win, “Firstly I am over the moon to have won this award. I could not have got this far without my fellow colleagues coaching and mentoring me throughout the 4 years of my Apprenticeship. It’s a rewarding feeling knowing that my hard work and dedication has been recognised. It gives me the confidence to go forward and become a truly valued part of the business. Apprenticeships in the modern world are vital for bringing people like me into important engineering roles. Rewards like this encourage me to push further and in turn become the best I can be. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been given.”
Lauren’s Leader at BD, Mark Jones added, “We are lucky to have a high standard of apprentices here at BD, so an individual has to do extraordinary things to be recognised above their peers.
Lauren has done just that. Her hunger for success, knowledge and progression is far beyond her years and due to the very unique circumstances over the last 2 years, Lauren has been put in situations that would normally not cross an apprentice’s path. She has embraced these situations and has shined. Nothing phases Lauren and all tasks are taken on with a smile on her face. A pleasure to work with and Lauren has a very bright future here at BD.”
At MB Aerospace, the team were more than delighted with James’s achievements. Jamie Riggs is the Principal Manufacturing Engineer at the company and said: “Congratulations to James, and all the other nominees and finalists. James thoroughly deserves this award, it's been a pleasure having him in this team for his last year of his apprenticeship and seeing him develop his skills and mature beyond his years.
We welcome James into his new role within the engineer team and now look towards our next generation of up and coming apprentices earlier in their development and the apprentice intake for 2022. Our apprentices are an integral part of the MB Aerospace future talent strategy.”
For James, the win came as a happy surprise and he said, “I am very proud to have completed my apprenticeship with MB aerospace and have been given such excellent guidance, training and experience throughout. Thank you for this special award, I am thrilled to receive it. More importantly thank you to everyone at MB Aerospace who have helped me achieve it, I'm excited for the future.”
Last but by no means least, the award for Best PMG Business Final Year Apprentice was announced and this went to Sophie Whitefield at Princess Yachts who is completing a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Business Administration with South Devon College and City & Guilds this year.
Sophie said: "I am extremely proud to have received this award from PMG. I would like to thank not only my colleagues, managers, and everyone at Princess but also my tutors at South Devon College for helping me on my way to earning my Level 3 Business Administration qualification. Working at Princess is a privilege and I am very lucky to be able to undertake my apprenticeship with them after my career took a different turn at the start of COVID. To be able to play a hand in the development and manufacture of our exceptional range of yacht models on a daily basis is an honour and I hope to be part of this growing business for many years to come."
Sophie’s Manager, Nick Smith, Head of Product Planning at Princess Yachts, added, “Sophie always goes the extra (nautical) mile. The award recognises her efforts to date and I look forward to supporting her further in her developing career.”
Chair of the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group Karen Friendship said: “It has been a pleasure to present Plymouth’s Construction and Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year Awards which has given us a great platform to shine a light on the amazing opportunities that an apprenticeship brings to employers, individuals and the economy. I would like to thank our local employers and training providers who have gone above and beyond to ensure apprentices have been able to continue their studies and on the job learning during this unprecedented time. I would also like to pay tribute to all our apprentices for their dedication and efforts in working so hard to continue advancing with their apprenticeship despite the impact of the pandemic.”
At the awards ceremony, the Finalist and Highly Commended construction and manufacturing apprentices were all celebrated for their success and commended for the high standards they have shown in their achievements and skills developed during their apprenticeships.
List of Building Plymouth Apprentices:
Winner – The Ron Simmonds Trade of Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Ellis Mitchell - Classic Builders with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Site Carpentry
Highly Commended Trade Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Tracy Perkin - LiveWest Homes Ltd with the Focus Training Group – Advanced Level 3 Gas Engineering
Finalists:
• Bailey Doyle - Plymouth Community Homes with The Focus Training Group - Advanced Level 3 Gas Engineering Operative
• Ben Kerswell - Classic Builders with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Carpentry
• Bradley Evans - Chestnut Carpentry with Skills Group - Advanced Level 3 Site Carpentry
• David Phillips - Plymouth Community Homes with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Painting and Decorating
• Evan Davies - XCAV8 South West Ltd with Skills Group - Intermediate Level 2 Groundworker
• Joseph Broad - Stay Dry Roofing with Greenlight Safety & Training - Intermediate Level 2 Roofing
• Lewis Chapman - TEC Construction Holdings LTD with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Carpentry
• Makenzie Horrell - Stay Dry Roofing with Greenlight Safety & Training - Intermediate Level 2 Roofing
• Mason Hughes - Plymouth Community Homes with The Focus Training Group - Advanced Level 3 Gas Engineering Operative
• Nathan Owen - Barratt Developments PLC with Stephenson College Leicester - Intermediate Level 2 Bricklaying
• Oliver Jones - BJO Construction with Skills Group - Intermediate Level 2 Bricklaying
• Ryan Rogers - Hallwell Projects with Skills Group - Intermediate Level 2 Bricklaying
• Sam Mcgowan - Classic Builders with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Plumbing
• Steven Price - Plymouth Community Homes with City College Plymouth - Intermediate Level 2 Plastering Solid
Winner – Building Plymouth Technical Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Emma Jarvis - Services Design Solution with Exeter College –
Higher Level 4 Building Services Engineering Technician
Highly Commended Technical Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Georgia Marshall - YGS Landscapes Ltd with Skills4Stem –
Higher Level 4 Quantity Surveyor
Finalists:
• Nathan Stock - Shared Apprenticeships South West Hosted by Kier Construction with Exeter College – Advanced Level 3 in Construction Contracting Operations
• Sam Goodwin - Services Design Solution with Exeter College –
Higher Level 4 Building Services Engineering Technician
List of the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group Apprentices
Winner - PMG Manufacturing Rising Star Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Daniel Rowe, Groeneveld UK with Cornwall College, L3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering
Finalists:
• Abbie Tucker, BD with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering Technician, Mechatronics
• Amelia Bulley, Babcock International with City College Plymouth, L3 Engineering Technician
• Andrei Hritcu, Olympus Algram with City College Plymouth,L3 Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
• Bethan Haigh, MB Aerospace with Exeter College, L3 Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
• Charlie Hill, Princess Yachts with South Devon College, L3 Marine Engineering
• Corey Stapleton, Oakmount Control Systems with City College Plymouth, L3 Machining
• Joe Coutts, Babcock International with City College Plymouth, L3 Maritime Defence Engineering
• Kieran Foster, Oakmount Control Systems with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering and Manufacture – Mechanical
• Kyle Whitford-Robson, Alderman Tooling with City College Plymouth, L3 Engineering Manufacturing Fabrication & Welding
• Lee Cooper, Olympus Algram with City College Plymouth, L3 Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering - Machinist
• Ritchie Reynolds, Babcock International with Trans Plant Mastertrain, L2 Lifting Technician
• Thomas Fyfe, Princess Yachts with South Devon College, L3 Composites Technician
Winner - PMG Business Rising Star Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Liam Spence, Babcock International with City College Plymouth, L5 Commercial Apprentice
Finalists:
• Chloe Mackie, Meddings Group with City College Plymouth, L2 Accounting
• Lucy Wood, Princess Yachts with South Devon College, L3 Business Administration
Joint Winners - PMG Manufacturing Final Year Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Lauren Gage, BD with Cornwall College, L3 Mechatronics
• James Wood, MB Aerospace with Exeter College, L4 Engineering Manufacturing Technician
Finalists:
• Abbie West, BD with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering Technician
• Charlie Commander, Babcock International with Trans Plant Mastertrain, L2 Lifting Technician
• Josh Ford, Babcock International with City College Plymouth, L3 Engineering Technician
• Rhys Heslop, Olympus Algram with City College Plymouth, L3 Engineering Technician
• Sam Weaver, Babcock International with City College Plymouth, L3 Engineering Technician
Winner - PMG Business Final Year Apprentice of the Year 2022
• Sophie Whitefield, Princess Yachts with South Devon College / City & Guilds, L3 Business Administration
Finalists:
• Laura Stephens, Babcock International with ATN Consultancy Training , L4 Procurement and Supply
• Shauna McAteer, Babcock International with City College Plymouth , L2 Customer Service Practitioner