Jamie Weakner, a 24 year old electrician from Croydon, has been recognised as London’s Best Apprentice at City Hall this month by JTL, a training provider to the building services engineering sector.
As well as a trophy, Weakner – who works for Farringdon based Electrical contractors M&M Electrical – was presented with a £700 cheque after beating nine other finalists, drawn from over 800 nominees across the capital studying plumbing, electrical, engineering maintenance and heating and ventilation apprenticeships.
M&M Electrical’s director Paul Murphy said: “I would just like to thank Jamie for all the effort and hard work he has put into his apprenticeship but I would also, more importantly, like to thank all of the people who have helped him on his journey from our electricians who have taught him on site to all of the college staff at Carshalton College and, as a director of M&M Electrical, how proud we all are.”
Weakner will compete for the JTL National Apprentice Award at the Tower of London in February next year against seven other regional finalists drawn from 8,000 young people throughout England and Wales.
Jamie is one of 17 apprentices working for M&M Electrical, which provide a range of services from small rewires to major refurbishments, installation, renewal and maintenance of domestic and commercial properties in hospitals, retail outlets and hotels
Weakner’s JTL training officer Neil Sumarno said: “Jamie is a well deserved winner the achievement and hard work of young people in industry so often goes unreported and unrecognised.”
JTL’s chief executive Denis Hird said: “These awards celebrate the achievements of young apprentices and their employers providing vital skills for the future despite the difficult economic climate.”