News 9
Tom Gregory is top apprentice
TOM GREGORY of Prospero Facilities Services was named Craft Apprentice of the Year in the Scottish HVACR Awards for Outstanding Achievement, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of B&ES Scotland at Bush Estate, Midlothian.
Mr Gregory, who also came top in this year’s Service and Maintenance Apprentice of the Year category, received his trophy – the David Kettles Cup – from Bruce Bisset, president of the Building & Engineering Services Association.
In introducing the awards, Mr Bisset reminded his audience that the sector had experienced yet another challenging year – so he was pleased to be able to report a small increase in the number of apprentices recruited across Scotland “from around 90 last year to 100 this year”. “I’d like to think that this shows a growing level of confidence among employers, which can only be good news for all of us in building engineering services,” said the president – although he acknowledged that “we certainly won’t be returning to previous levels of employment overnight”.
“As I have said before, it’s going to be a long, slow haul – but one which I know that we, as an industry, have the determination to see through,” Mr Bisset insisted.
The Scottish Government’s target was to deliver 25,000 modern apprenticeships
annually – and he confirmed that his sector would be playing its part in this process. “The young people we are here to honour today represent our future – in terms of innovation, technology, project management and the introduction of new ideas and new ways of working,” he said. Much had been written about the need to ensure that the construction industry remained entirely fit for purpose, and capable of addressing the challenges that would arise as the UK moved towards a low-carbon future. This would inevitably involve adapting to changing working practices – in particular, the use of building information modelling (BIM), which would become mandatory on central Government contracts in just over two years’ time. “As they move forward in their careers, some of today’s winners will undertake further study and progress to managerial posts. Others will want to start their own business. Others again will become ever more skilled craftsmen and technicians,” said Mr Bisset.
“But – whatever their personal ambitions – they must be prepared to assist us in continuously reviewing the shape and structure of the sector and its workforce, and in ensuring that we always do the very best we can, for our customers and clients, and for the built environment,” the president concluded.
Visit ACR News online at
www.acr-news.com ACR News February 2014
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