Modern Apprenticeship Award finalists named

21st October 2010

The finalists in Skills Development Scotland's Modern Apprenticeship Awards include a rugby coach, a plumber, a joiner, two welders and a hotel housekeeper.

Also in the running for this year's Awards are employers from Shetland and Dumfries, two Lanarkshire colleges, national companies BT and Scottish Gas, local authorities and housing associations.

Entries for this year's Awards were up ten per cent on last year - and judges say the standard was higher than ever.

The 2010 Awards - sponsored by the SQA - showcase those apprentices, employers, colleges and learning providers who have demonstrated initiative, enterprise and outstanding commitment to the improvement of skills development for the Scottish economy.

Now in their ninth year these Awards are a celebration of the high standards being reached by many employees, employers and learning providers across the country.

Finalists in the traditional sector categories include welders Carrie Crawford from Westhill, Aberdeen and Thomas Rennie, of Inverkeithing, instrumentation technician Nathan Ross Mackay of Dounreay, plumber Barry Adamson of Dunfermline; Glasgow mechanical engineer Scott Cumming and Kilbarchan joiner Paul Kerr.

In the non traditional sector categories finalists include Glasgow-based rugby coach Thomas Davidson, business administration apprentices Jamie Dunsmuir of Hamilton and Hayley Martin of Glasgow, Bellshill Academy lab technician Claire Walsh, Edinburgh hotel housekeeper Sylvia Krzykala, Glasgow customer service apprentice Suzanne Murray and management apprentice Pauline Paterson of Inverurie,

Glenrothes retail apprentice Jamieann Mielnik and North Lanarkshire Council horticulture apprentice Ryan Mooney are finalists in the Level 2 Apprentice of the Year category.

In the small employers' category - for businesses with less than 50 employees - Lochaber Housing Association's property services team is up against Shetland based marine engineering firm Ocean Kinetics.

Finalists in the medium employers' category include Edinburgh childcare company Bertram Nursery Group and Peterhead's Dales Engineering Services.

In the large employers category the battle for the top spot is between BT, City Building Glasgow, Scottish Gas and the Glasgow Housing Association.

The partnership category finalists include Falkirk Council, James Watt College and Dunfermline-based Xchanging HR Services while the finalists in the learning provider category are Coatbridge College, Motherwell College, Edinburgh's Rewards Training and Minerva People Limited, who are based in Dumfries.

Winners will be chosen at a special awards ceremony in Glasgow's Radisson Hotel on 8 December. Each finalist will be a VIP guest at the event and each winner will receive a specially designed trophy.

Skills Development Scotland's chief executive Damien Yeates said: "These Awards are a great opportunity to highlight the calibre of our country's apprentices and to recognise their abilities. It is also a chance to focus on the quality of training and partnership working which helps Scotland's businesses develop individuals and their organisations in today's competitive marketplace."