Benjamin Maddock from Bracknell in Berkshire was crowned JTL National Apprentice of the Year 2013 in a ceremony at the Tower of London last week (Wednesday 26 February).
Ben was picked from JTL’s 13 best building services engineering apprentices across England and Wales, each of whom had won ‘Regional Apprentice of the Year’ in their own area to secure their place at the national final.
Thomas Hyland of Whitehaven in Cumbria claimed second place, with Elly Davies from Swansea taking third prize.
Maddock – who works for Norland Managed Services, one of the UK’s leading facilities, energy and project management companies – says: “I truly didn’t expect to win the regional award, let alone the national one! It’s a massive honour, which I’m still struggling to take in. The evening was really special, the Tower of London was a great back drop and my win was just the icing on the cake. I enjoyed my apprenticeship and gave it my all. This award really validates everything I’ve worked for and it’s great to have such a massive public pat on the back.”
“Norland was very supportive throughout my apprenticeship. The company takes a keen interest in all apprentices and I think my success is, in part, due to the support they’ve given me. My training hasn’t stopped there though – I’m keen to carry on improving and pushing myself and Norland continues to help me to line up new challenges. As a company they’re eager to help people progress and therefore very helpful when it comes to offering training opportunities. I feel I’m in the right place!”
Denis Hird, JTL’s chief executive comments: “Success at JTL’s awards ceremony marks a massive achievement for the three winners, as well as for all the finalists. They’ve all shown tremendous commitment and drive to complete their apprenticeships with such flying colours – it’s a four year course, known for its high standards of practical work and its rigorous approach to theory.”
The winners at both regional and national level had excelled in each of the four elements of the apprenticeship framework – practical work on site, theory, key skills and industry test scores. For the national final they were judged on their technical ability, combined with their professionalism and confidence.
JTL Chairman, Ian Livsey, who spoke at the Tower of London awards ceremony, thanked the apprentices’ families and employers for their continued help.
“We have the best success rates in the country, due in part to the high level of support our young people receive from their JTL training officers; their employers, who are fully committed to our apprenticeship schemes; and to the parents behind the scenes, who offer their guidance in so many ways,” he said.
JTL is the leading charitable training organisation in the building services engineering sector. The award scheme celebrates the highest achieving young trainees in the industry. Final year apprentices from across JTL’s four courses – electrical installation; plumbing, heating and ventilation; refrigeration; and engineering maintenance – are put forward on the basis of their outstanding overall performances. JTL runs around 6,000 apprenticeships in partnership with colleges and workplaces across England and Wales and currently works with approximately 3,200 employers in the building services engineering sector.