News and features

Tue, 10 Mar 2009

Construction firm praises apprentices

Construction company Carillion marks Apprenticeship Week with awards event for trainees.

Carillion has hailed the contribution made by its trainees at an awards ceremony for Apprenticeship Week.

Four individual awards were handed out by Carillion Utility Services at the event in Sutton Coldfield, with Ipswich-based employee Tom Watts receiving the Brian Coen Apprentice of the Year Award.

The award is named after an employee who joined the construction company as an apprentice 50 years ago and helped to develop the current apprenticeship scheme at Carillion Utility Services.

Meanwhile, trainee engineer Oliver Whelan received the Construction Skills Award for Progress, with Alex Zahorodnyj from Coventry taking the award for Persistence.

Richard Harding, an overhead linesman working on the same E.ON contract as Mr Zahorodnyj, was presented with the Endeavour award.

Paul Killilea, technical director at Carillion Utility Services, said that all the company's apprentices were worthy of praise.

"Our trainees are performing to a very high standard and are behaving as true ambassadors for our business," he commented.

"Their roles are very customer-focused and the Carillion public service ethos is being demonstrated day after day."

Mr Whelan, who joined the firm in 2007 and has now moved on to project management work, added: "If anyone is thinking of becoming an apprentice - just do it - it's the best thing I have ever done."

Another event organised by Carillion for Apprenticeship Week saw the company visit a primary school in Surrey with one of its teams.

Pupils at Reigate Parish Church Infant School were introduced to the basics of construction work and health and safety.

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