Sam O'Connor, aged 20 from Barrow, has been given the accolade of being the 'Best Apprentice of the Year' for his outstanding achievements under the tutelage of the team at Beck Hill Motors in Barton. Sam, who is now in his 2nd year of an Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering (Motor Vehicle - Light Vehicle) at Grimsby Institute of Further Education, was given the award by his tutors at the Institute who recognised that he had stood out among the large group of other talented apprentices in his year, and deserved special praise and recognition.
Sam is presented with his award by Hazel Jackson, Apprentices Manager at the Grimsby Institute.
Prior to starting his Advanced Diploma Sam completed a previous two years at the College and with Beck Hill and so this will be his 4th year with the Garage as an apprentice. After three years of tutoring and mentoring it must be very satisfactory for the team at Beck Hill to have one of their apprentices recognised in such a way.
Elaine Welton, Director at Beck Hill, said, "we're really proud of him. It's great recognition of all of Sam's hard work."
Sam puts a lot of his success down to the expert help and support he has received at Beck Hill over the years. "My mentors, Darren and Chris, are excellent mechanics and it's great working with them. They're interested in what I'm doing and care about my progress and that has really helped me."
Sam with his Mentors, Darren Jacklin (left) and Chris Dixon.
The Best Apprentice Award is based on attendance, ability, commitment, effort, portfolio and feedback from Beck Hill Motors as to all of the above, as well as attitude and customer service. Sam has found areas of his course really challenging and he thinks part of the award is for his determination to get beyond the subjects he found most difficult. Sam said, "I have found certain areas of the course harder than others on my course, especially the Maths, and I really had to work hard at revision for my exams to understand everything 100%".
Sam works on an original-style Mini.
Hazel Jackson, Apprenticeships Manager at the Grimsby Institute, came to Beck Hill to present Sam with his trophy and made the comment that this award is not just for the person who is best at getting their hands dirty under the bonnet of a car. She said, "an apprenticeship might once have been thought of as an easy alternative to higher education, but that is most definitely a misunderstanding of the process. The level of knowledge that these young people have to acquire, plus the commitment they have to show in the context of being employed whilst learning, is massive. It's certainly not an easy ride and Sam's achievement is fantastic".
Taking a well-earned break.
Sam continues to learn and is well in to his 2nd year of his Advanced Diploma. When you take into account that before his apprenticeship he took an ABC course, by the end of this year of study he will have been through five years of learning. After this, he will have received his Technical Certificate; not bad for someone who knew so little when he first arrived at Beck Hill looking for work experience.
Elaine and the team at Beck Hill want to keep Sam working with them when his studies conclude. She said, "It's a big commitment for us to take on an apprentice for so many years. We've put a huge amount of effort in to his training, have seen his confidence and independence grow and definitely want to keep him as an employee when he graduates. He is part of the team, as he has been from day one".
www.beckhillmotors.co.uk
01652 632400
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