NWTC AWARDS EVENT CELEBRATES APPRENTICESHIP SUCCESS

Some of the most talented engineering apprentices in the region recently celebrated their success at the North West Training Council (NWTC) Annual Awards evening.

Apprentices’ families, friends and their employers joined NWTC staff on 25th October at The Women’s Organisation to recognise the efforts and achievements of the apprentices, and reflect on the successes of NWTC during the last 12 months.

Taking the crown as the NWTC Apprentice of the Year 2019 was Alex Headspith who works at STFC (Daresbury Laboratories).  Alex was awarded the RW Lofthouse Trophy in recognition of his achievements in his role as Science Industry Technician within Mechanical Engineering.

The runner-up to receive the Triumph Trophy was Sean Mannion who is employed by Vinci Facilities Electrical Engineering. Ben Meadley of MPE won third place for The Chairman’s Cup from MPE.

These winners were selected from more than eighty candidates nominated by their tutors and training officers.  A further twenty awards were received by apprentices who had achieved their ‘First Year Foundation’ in Maintenance, Engineering or Manufacturing along with apprentices in the fire emergency, security systems and food sectors. Individual shields, specific to 6 companies and their apprentices, were also awarded during the evening.

The accolades were handed out by Sir Ronald Watson.

Engineering Careers

North West Training Council is a leading provider of Engineering and Technical Training in the region, successfully skilling up thousands of apprentices since it was established in 1963. The organisation is also a leading provider of commercial training in sectors including gas, electrical, engineering manufacturing and maintenance. They are committed to enabling young people to develop the skills needed for successful engineering careers and supporting businesses to build dynamic, productive workforces.

Paul Musa, chief executive at NWTC, said;

“NWTC and the employers we work with are committed to supporting our local communities, the city region, and the government agenda in boosting employment in our industry. The annual awards event allows us to see how far our apprentices have come and celebrate their success with their employers and families; we are very proud of what they have achieved.”

NWTC success

The event also provided the opportunity to reflect on a roll call of NWTC organisational honours including:

• A NWTC apprentice reaching the top 3 in the national GTA Awards for Apprentice of the Year which was held at a gala event in London.
• NWTC apprentices becoming both STEM and HUB ambassadors, and the support given by staff and apprentices of NWTC who attended Liverpool City Region events for young people.
• North West Training Council recently relocated to a state of the art ‘Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Training Centre’ in Wellington Employment Park, Liverpool 5.  The acres of space house new workshops, offices, classrooms and the new generation machinery required to skill apprentices in the very latest approaches to manufacturing and engineering in addition to the traditional engineering practices.