WBTC - Rising Stars 2019

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Newbury Business Today

Congratulations to all our graduates

WEST BERKSHIRE TRAINING CONSORTIUM

Well done to all the graduates, award finalists and winners in the WBTC Rising Stars Awards 2019

READ MORE INSIDE - PULL-OUT AND KEEP CELEBRATION SOUVENIR

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Newbury Business Today

Our Graduates

O n a sunny spring day, apprentices, their employers, family and friends all gathered for the WBTC Apprentice Graduation & Rising Stars Awards 2019. The event on Wednesday May 15 was attended by 200 guests at Arlington Arts Centre near Newbury. ‘This was our fifth event and I think it gets better each year,’ said Matt Garvey the Managing Director of WBTC (pictured left). ‘We had amazing weather, a full house and a celebratory atmosphere that underscores why apprenticeships are so amazing. Our Guest of Honour, Anthony Bravo, the Principal of BCoT and chairman of WBTC, got events

underway with a motivational speech on leadership in the workplace. He reminded us that for many, their apprenticeship is just the first leg of the career journey and many will go on to become managers.’ Apprentice graduation ceremonies have become more popular over recent years as a way of formally congratulating apprentices on their years of study and hard work. ‘There was a wide range of apprentices graduating, including accounting, business administration, carpentry, customer service, engineering, graphic design, housing, IT/telecoms, management and warehousing,’ added Matt. ‘Our graduates looked pretty amazing in their gowns and were a credit to themselves and their employers. I’m always impressed how apprentices tackle their full-time jobs and their stretching studies to become accomplished professionals; it makes me feel optimistic for the future.’ Employers from all over the area gathered with their apprentices or as finalists in their own categories to celebrate all that is good about apprenticeships. Proud mum Emma Hardwicke saw her son Alex Painter graduate. She said: ‘What a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, I was a proud mum watching the graduation, both my children have now achieved apprenticeships with great support from WBTC, one in accountancy and one in technical customer service and have excellent career opportunities ahead to them.’ ‘It’s great to be part of the WBTC event again this year with apprenticeships getting the recognition and value they deserve’ said Steve Cooper of Benchmark Furniture WBTC also invested their 2019 Honorary Fellowships of WBTC to Colin Heslop who set up WBTC and served as its chairman for 35 years. He was recognised for his ‘Services to apprentices in West Berkshire’. This is the highest honour that WBTC can award to an individual and it is for life. ‘If it hadn’t been for Colin’s desire to tackle youth unemployment back in 1983 then WBTC would exist,’ added Matt. ‘Through his leadership the charity went from being a small project in the Town Hall to the leading apprenticeship provider in our area. We’ve trained thousands of apprentices in West Berkshire who have gone on to lead fulfilling careers and lives.’ There was also a special recognition for Bayer Plc and James Cowper Kreston who were awarded the WBTC Platinum Award for their consistently excellent apprenticeship programme. Apprentices then formally graduated and were congratulated by Anthony Bravo. As well as different occupational sectors, apprentices came from a diverse range of backgrounds, demonstrating the egalitarian spirit of the apprenticeship programme. There were also a substantial number of adult apprentices graduating. Rising Stars 2019 The graduation ceremony was followed by the Rising Stars Awards 2019, a showcase of local employers and individuals who had been nominated for their excellence. With eight categories, this was an opportunity for outstanding role models to shine. There were three finalists in each category, each chosen by a panel of judges. ‘The Rising Stars finalists were all quite inspirational,’ said Matt. ‘Winners are a closely guarded secret so not even I know who they are until the event itself. Nominations championed the ways employers had gone out the extra mile to support apprentices or extolled the care and attention exhibited by mentors. We had most nominations for the learner categories with some outstanding testimonials on our apprentices and Great Start students. Judges assessed nominations on an anonymised basis and focused on the story. Consequently, the finalists were of a very high standard.’

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Newbury Business Today

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (16-18) CHARLIE BINT OF SPX FLOW Matt. ‘They played a key role in celebrating the great work that goes on in our local business community when it comes to apprenticeships and learning.’ RISING STARS 2019 Along with the eight award category sponsors, the event was supported by the awarding body Pearson and Apple Print & Creative ‘I’m deeply grateful to the sponsors and supporters whose generosity made this event possible,’ said

One of the finalists, Sheena Sukumaran of Sutherland Health Ltd, said: ‘I’m sure many do not appreciate fully what it takes to put on such a performance and I commend WBTC and all the team for a wonderful day, which I’m sure for some of the youngsters will be a proud moment that they can enjoy for years to come. Well done and a huge Thank You to you all.’ Steve Cooper of Benchmark, one of the event

sponsors said: ‘I enjoyed being part of the ceremony and I was impressed by Antony’s talk on leadership. I think WBTC and the team did a first-class job and feedback from our apprentices was very positive so well done.’ Finalists all received a medal and winners were awarded their coveted trophy. In the individual learner categories the winners also received £100 with the other finalists awarded prizes of £25

each. ‘I know that people often say everyone deserves to win,’ added Matt, ‘but in this case I feel it’s true. The nominations were of such high quality that judges had a hard time deciding on the eventual winners. In my eyes, each finalist is a true rising star with an exciting future ahead.’

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (19+) RUSHTON GAYMES OF ATB ACCOUNTING

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Their Nominator said: Charlie joined SPX’s apprentice programme in 2017 and has made a big impact on all areas he has worked in around the factory. Charlie has taken a very important role in documenting and processing our test assembly equipment. He has had to standardise the process using an array of lean attributes he has learnt from our in house training from BAE systems. Charlie has had a difficult couple of years with his health, however this has not stopped him from completing all his apprenticeship work and gaining valuable skills within the different areas of SPX. He has only shown positivity and willingness to learn within each section he has worked in and is showing a particular interest in multi-skilled fitting. He is currently working on our ‘side entry mixers’, where he has to build and test mixers to the customers’ requirements and is able to do this with minimal supervision and to a high standard. Charlie is a hard working employee. If he keeps on going this way he will progress far within SPX Flow.

Their Nominator said: I would like to nominate Melissa who has mentored the apprentices at Bayer for the past four years. Melissa was responsible for mentoring over 15 apprentices across many different departments at Bayer. Melissa always made sure that the apprentices were aware of what Bayer did for employees in terms of general welfare and was dedicated to supporting all. Melissa fully supported the relationship with WBTC to ensure apprentices were making progress. Through Melissa’s support this meant that when I had discussions with apprentices on Safeguarding or Health & Safety they were able to apply what they were doing at Bayer to the discussions. Apprentices always felt Melissa was a supportive mentor who they could approach at any time during their apprenticeship. For one or two apprentices for whom Bayer was not the right organisation, she has supported them in defining what they want from a future employer and has guided them through the process of leaving an organisation. Their Nominator said: I am nominating Rushton Gaymes as Apprentice of the Year as he has achieved so much during his Apprenticeship journey. Rushton started at ATB Accounting on an Advanced Apprenticeship in Accounting which he soon achieved and then quickly progressed on to his Higher Apprenticeship. Rushton found this Higher Apprenticeship more challenging and he had to make more time to revise for exams, build a portfolio of evidence and cope with increasing levels of responsibility. Rushton struggled with some of the exams and was getting behind with his portfolio work. However, he persevered. His work performance was great and eventually the portfolio work came together and he passed his exams. The success doesn’t end there. ATB Accounting have taken on a new Apprentice this year and Rushton is his mentor. Rushton is a true success story and fully deserves to be Apprentice of the Year.

Peter Holden, Matt Garvey (WBTC), Charlie Bint and Paul Lewis

Peter Holden (SPX Flow), Rushton Gaymes (ATB Accounting) and Matt Garvey (WBTC)

Steph Akerman, Learning and Development Consultant, Sovereign. As a WBTC platinum employer awards winner ourselves this year, it’s great to have had the opportunity to sponsor the Rising Stars Awards for the sixth year running. At Sovereign we value the important role young people have in our business. Many of our employees started their careers as apprentices and are now fully-fledged housing professionals. This year’s nominees have been of a particularly high standard and everyone should be commended for their achievements today.

Jonathan Meek, HR Business Partner at SPX Flow. SPX Flow and WBTC have a longstanding partnership which has positively contributed to the success of our business and the local area. We continue to be committed to the development of our apprentices to grow our business and exceed our customers’ expectations. Apprenticeships play a key role in our business planning and we look forward to enhancing our apprenticeship offering in the future.

GREAT START LEARNER OF THE YEAR LEO WILLIAMS

WORKPLACE MENTOR OF THE YEAR MELISSA STRONG OF BAYER PLC

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Their Nominator said: Leo has had a brilliant year so far. He has passed his Workskills and Safeguarding qualifications already, due to his hard work and willing attitude and is working well towards his maths and English. Leo is supportive of others in the group, often helping them with their work when they are struggling. Recently he stayed on later than he needed to take part in Speaking and Listening exams that others were doing to ensure there were enough participants. Leo is a role model because he works hard and is always keen to verbally contribute in lessons. He has a can-do attitude, which sets a great example to others who might be shy or not motivated in their learning. Leo does not always find the work easy, but he overcomes these struggles, asks for help and often succeeds, which is a fine example of what education and work are all about. These aspects of Leo’s attitude bode well for when he enters the world of work.

Richard Dickson, HR Director at James Cowper Kreston. Here at James Cowper Kreston we are very proud to have been working with apprentices for many years now. Training and developing young people is vital to our success as a firm of accountants and business advisers; it helps us to give our clients a great service whilst also training the next generation. It has been a pleasure working with West Berkshire Consortiumwho have been a key partner in this process and we look forward to their continuing contribution to our future success. At the annual Rising Star Awards, we have sponsored the award for Great Start Learner of the Year for several years and are honored to play our part in supporting the hard work of the apprentices across our local community and many congratulations again to this year’s winner Leo Williams. Jonathan Baillie (James Cowper Kreston), Leo Williams and Matt Garvey (WBTC)

Steve Cooper (Benchmark), Melissa Strong (Bayer) and Matt Garvey (WBTC)

Fiona Coyne, Head of Furniture, Benchmark. At Benchmark, we are committed to developing the next generation of craftsmen and creating a legacy of making and makers. Our Apprenticeship scheme has been a key factor in our success over the last 30 years, which is why we are delighted to sponsor this award and help champion the benefits of apprenticeships to a wider audience.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Newbury Business Today

MICRO EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR RSK PLUMBING & HEATING

SMALL EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR EJBC CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

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Their Nominator said: RSK have had two apprentices. Charlie, who recently completed his Advanced Apprenticeship in Plumbing and Heating. He has remained with RSK as a qualified plumber and heating engineer, and in addition they have recently taken on Marcus, who has just started his Level 3 Gas standard. Robbie Sadler, one of the company owners, completed his plumbing apprenticeship through WBTC. He is able to support their apprentices thanks to his own knowledge and experience of being an apprentice. Although they are a small company, RSK are committed to ensuring their apprentices get a full range of experiences in the workplace. RSK Plumbing and Heating is a exemplary employer who fully support apprenticeships. With their support, their apprentices have found success and developed employment and life skills. Great example of how Charlie is now a mentor for the new apprentice.

Their Nominator said: EJBC have four apprentices representing over a quarter of their workforce. Since they started working with WBTC they have always achieved the WBTC Certificate of Excellence, demonstrating their passion for quality training. A couple of the Accounting Apprentices have struggled with passing some of the exams. EJBC have allowed them extra time out of the business to attend further classes to get the support they needed to pass. The manager has also given up her own time to help the learners revise. A few of the learners have not had time to complete their portfolio work and EJBC have allowed them additional time at work to get the tasks completed. EJBC are a very supportive company who want to see their Apprentices achieve and will give any help that is needed to make sure they do. They also actively encourage Apprentices to move on to the next level so that they can reach their full potential.

Claire Richards (WBTC), Rob King (RSK Plumbing and Heating) and Tamsin Slatter (Vectorworks)

Claire Richards (WBTC), Emma Thomas (EJBC) with Elliot Jarett and Kerry Brown (Boomerang Creative)

Tamsin Slatter, Vectorworks UK Director of Customer Success. Vectorworks was delighted to sponsor this award and celebrate the achievements of RSK Plumbing and Heating. Having completed apprenticeships himself, the director knows from both sides that recruiting an apprentice is a commitment and a responsibility, and has clearly risen to the challenge, providing excellent support and opportunity. Tamsin Slatter, UK Director of Customer Success at Vectorworks, was proud to witness the graduation ceremony and even qualify as finalists in the Small Employer of the Year category. We look forward to the graduation of Vectorworks’ own apprentices next year.

Elliot Jarret, Boomerang Creative. For the second year running we are delighted to have an affiliation with the WBTC Rising Stars Awards. Last year we were lucky enough to have our own apprentice win the prestigious Apprentice of the Year accolade, and having seen first-hand the added benefits and confidence it bestowed, we decided to sponsor a category ourselves for 2019! We were honoured to present the Small Employer of the Year award to EJBC chartered accountants, who are truly recognised as best in class amongst their peers. Congratulations to all at EJBC and see you next year no doubt!

MEDIUM SIZED EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR PRIORS COURT SCHOOL

LARGE EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR KENNET SCHOOL ACADEMIES TRUST

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SPONSORED BY:

Their Nominator said: I have worked for many years with employers in the local area, I have been impressed by the commitment, effort and attitude of the team at the Kennet Academy Trust towards the apprentices and their training since the beginning. They will do whatever it takes, above and beyond to ensure that the apprentices have the support, training and tools to be successful. I enjoy working with the Kennet Academy, they are responsive to any WBTC needs or suggestions as well as being proactive in their approach. Its great to have such a positive employer where you know the apprentice who joins them will have such opportunities and support to become successful.

Their Nominator said: Priors Court School are seeing the benefits of apprenticeships and putting increasing commitment into hiring new apprentices as well as up-skilling current staff. I’ve nominated Priors Court School because the apprentice has been very happy in his role and enjoyed his apprenticeship due to the support he has been given by his employer. Priors Court have a young IT apprentice who is naturally a very quiet person. His naturally quiet nature meant some people struggled to hear him on the phone. Priors Court School worked with WBTC to put the apprentice on to extra courses to help him communicate more confidently on the phone and face to face. As a result the apprentice, his manager and employer are very happy.

Claire Richards (WBTC), Sam Keaney (Priors Court School) and Emma Thomas (EJBC)

Claire Richards (WBTC), Tammy Dowling (Kennet School) and Clare Wilson (NWN)

Emma Thomas, EJBC. We have been involved with WTBC for five years now and were delighted to sponsor the Micro Employer of the year award this year. Our congratulations go to the winners, Priors Court School. Apprenticeships are an excellent way of getting young people into the work place and employers play an important role in providing the framework and support to help each apprentice reach their full potential. The WTBC awards are a great way to celebrate the hard work of both the apprentice and the employer.

Andy Murrill, Newbury Weekly News Editor. Many congratulations to Kennet School Academies Trust for winning this award. The Newbury Weekly News knows first-hand what excellent work the school does and it’s fantastic to see that it gives its staff the same superb opportunities as it does its pupils. We are lucky to have so many large employers investing in local talent and that’s why we are delighted to sponsor this award once again. Also, many congratulations to West Berkshire Training Consortium for the sterling work it does and for organising the Rising Stars Awards.

Details of all winners can be found here: http://wbtc-uk.com/2019-rising-stars-winners