Awards ceremony held in Boston to honour apprentices and employers

Boston College has been honouring its apprentices and the businesses that support them.

The hard work and dedication of Boston College apprentices and the employers who support them have been recognised at an awards ceremony in the town.

Boston College held the event – its latest annual Apprenticeship Awards – at the Sam Newsom Centre last Wednesday.

It was hosted by the college’s director of learning: adults and apprenticeships Wendy Poole and featured Katrina Pierce, development manager for the Federation of Small Business, as a guest speaker, who talked about the value of apprenticeships.

Awards were not only presented to apprentices for their achievements, but to employers for the opportunities they provide.

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year Ryan Hobbs.

The college currently trains 378 apprentices.

Speaking of the awards, Nicola Irving, Boston College’s head of apprentices, said: “These awards are not only a testament to the commitment of Boston College in relation to apprenticeships, but also to that of our local employers. By working together to promote workforce development, a wide range of opportunities are provided to our learner’s which enable them to achieve their career goals.”

To close the awards, the Outstanding Apprentice of the Year award was presented to Ryan Hobbs, who had earlier collected the Plumbing Apprentice of the Year honour.

His nomination stated: “Ryan has proved himself as a role model for his peers, displaying great attitude, willingness, and motivation to learn.

“This has been demonstrated whilst working on not only his main plumbing apprenticeship course, but also through the hard work and effort his has put into his maths studies.”

The winners were:

* Outstanding Apprentice of the Year: Ryan Hobbs

* Apprentice of the Year in Bricklaying: Kye Wilkinson

* Highly Commended Apprentice in Bricklaying: John Holland

* Apprentice of the Year in Business: Leah Ellerby

* Highly Commended Apprentice in Business: Adam Edge

* Apprentice of the Year in Customer Service: Ryan Skinner

* Apprentice of the Year in Early Years and Schools: Chloe Spooner

* Apprentice of the Year in Electrical: Daniel Mountain

* Apprentice of the Year in Hairdressing: Eleanor Sorrell

* Apprentice of the Year in Plumbing: Ryan Hobbs

* Highly Commended Apprentice in Plumbing: Zac Lumley

* Apprentice of the Year in Teaching: Tamsyn Chambers

Employer New to Apprenticeships* Boston LGV Training* Coastal Electrical Services

Developing Employees through Apprenticeship Training* SJG Electrical* Aaron Services

Supporting Local Apprenticeships – Large Employer (250+ employees)* Tong Engineering Ltd* Turners (Soham) Ltd

Supporting Local Apprenticeships – Medium Employer (25- 249 employees)* Dexter & Sharpe* Tulip Academy, Spalding

Supporting Local Apprenticeships – Small Employer (1-24 employees)* Mark Allen Plumbing* Bearhugs Nursery, Horncastle

To find out more about apprenticeships at Boston College, visit www.boston.ac.uk/apprenticeships