TRAINING AWARDS PRESENTED AT MILLENNIUM CENTRE
Presentation of this year’s Building Services Engineering Industry Training Awards took place in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, on the evening of Monday 3 February.
11 February 2014 - The First Year Heating and Ventilating Industrial/Commercial Apprentice Award was presented to Rhys Evans of Laing O’Rourke, Cardiff, and sponsored by Pegler Yorkshire.
The Second Year Heating and Ventilating Industrial/Commercial Apprentice Award was presented to Victoria Hackett of F P Hurley and Sons, Bridgend, Glamorgan, and sponsored by Pegler Yorkshire.
The Third Year Heating and Ventilating Industrial/Commercial Apprentice Award was presented to joint winners Adam Jury of Lorne Stewart and Rhys Yates of CMB Engineering, both of Cardiff, and sponsored by Wolseley.
The Fourth Year Heating and Ventilating Industrial/Commercial Apprentice Award was presented to Chris Carmody of Whitehead Building Services, Newport, Gwent, and sponsored by Wolseley.
The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Apprentice Award was presented to joint winners Kyle Engstrom of Four Seasons Maintenance, Cardiff and Dave Thomas of T&J Installations, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan, and sponsored by Cardiff and Vale College.
The Electrical Installation Apprentice Award was presented to Eleanor Davies of M&M’s Electrical, Swansea, and sponsored by Cardiff and Vale College.
The Building Services Engineer Award was presented to Kieran Swift of Ecofit Energy Systems, Pontyclun, Mid Glamorgan, and sponsored by Pier Consulting.
The Adult Learner Award was presented to James Pearson of CMB Engineering, Cardiff, and sponsored by Pier Consulting.
The Association was represented at the event – which was hosted by Bob Lane of Roperhurst, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan – by immediate past president Sue Sharp, chief executive Roderick Pettigrew, and Steven Leighton, chief operating officer of managing agent and B&ES subsidiary Building Engineering Services Training Ltd.
In her address, Mrs Sharp acknowledged that the building engineering services sector did seem, however tentatively, to be emerging from “the longest and deepest recession many of us have known”.
“And it does seem that, in the not-too-distant future, we shall find ourselves complaining once again of skills shortages and of a lack of competent individuals – at every level of the workforce – able to allow us fully to capitalise on the improving commercial environment,” the immediate past president added.
It was to be hoped, therefore, that the firms that had carried on training throughout the bad times – “firms such as those that employ the apprentices we have come together to honour this evening” – would be in a position to grasp the opportunities as they arose, and so reap the benefit of their courageous investment.
“I have heard it said – even by people who ought to know better – that the concept of an ‘apprenticeship’ holds little appeal for many of today’s young people – that they view it as something old-fashioned and out of tune with the way careers are fashioned in the contemporary world of work,” Mrs Sharp pointed out.
“All I can say to that is that the commitment, dedication and single-mindedness displayed by our award-winners not only gives the lie to such theories – but will also stand them in excellent stead throughout their working lives.”
And she concluded by insisting that – in spite of the difficulties most businesses had had to endure in recent times – there was a bright future ahead for the building engineering services sector, and for the talented young people it employed.
For more information about B&ES visit: http://www.b-es.org.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert. Tel: 44(0)1256 472020;
Fax: 44(0)1256 471010; E-mail: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Note to Editors
Since its formation in 1904, B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association (formerly the HVCA) has represented the interests of companies engaged in a wide range of building and engineering services disciplines.
B&ES helps its members to build successful businesses by being the leading trade association for integrated building and engineering services and renewable technologies. It is a unifying force that promotes and monitors excellence; provides quality advice, guidance, training and support; generates market-leading thinking; and shapes the commercial environment through active representation.
B&ES members are subject to regular, third-party inspection and assessment of their technical competence and commercial capability, carried out by an independent certification body at least every three years.
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