Tarmac employee named Apprentice of the Year
Electrical apprentice George Cooper named Apprentice of the Year by MidKent College
GEORGE Cooper, an electrical apprentice based at Tarmac’s West Thurrock site in Essex, has been named Apprentice of the Year by MidKent College after completing an NVQ level 2 in engineering operations.
Mr Cooper (right of photo) started his apprenticeship with Tarmac in August 2015 and after completing the first year of his IPS-approved qualification, he was rewarded by the college with the Apprentice of the Year award, in recognition of his attitude, commitment and striving for excellence.
On receiving the award, Mr Cooper said: ‘It was fantastic to be told that I had won the apprentice of the year award – I was very proud. It’s made me feel really positive about what I can achieve throughout the rest of my apprenticeship. The support and appreciation I have received from Tarmac has been outstanding.’
Andy Garwood, electrical engineering manager at Tarmac and Mr Cooper’s line manager, presented him with a trophy for winning the award, as well as £100 of vouchers.
Commenting on his success, Mr Garwood (left of photo) said: ‘It has been fantastic to see George continue to develop from the beginning of his apprenticeship. His attitude and commitment have been first class. I am very proud of him for winning the award and am excited to see him progress and develop further.’
He added: ‘It’s great to see the reality of how our Make Your Mark campaign has been successful in helping us recruit young, ambitious talent across the UK, and the impact they are having on our business.’
Mr Cooper is now beginning the second year of his apprenticeship with Tarmac and will be heading back to MidKent College one day a week, where he will be studying to complete his level 3 BTEC as part of his plan to become an electrician at Tarmac’s Northfleet and West Thurrock sites, known as the South East Terminals.
Throughout his four-year apprenticeship scheme, Tarmac will support Mr Cooper in achieving a number of different qualifications, including an NVQ level 2 in performing engineering operations (PEO), NVQ level 3 in electrical engineering, BTEC in electrical engineering and higher national certificate (HNC) in electrical engineering.
