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Top North East apprentices and trainer honoured at awards

The 11th annual Training and Development Resource Ltd dinner has shone the spotlight on top regional apprentices and a champion of North East training.

More than 500 people were at the prestigious event, which celebrated the best in the sector.

Ron Dodd, a main board director of British Engines and an instrumental figure in setting up TDR, was paid tribute to throughout the night.

He told the apprentices: “The harder you work, the luckier you get.

“If you don’t do it now, you’re not going to when you get older - you’ve got to stick in and work.”

TDR executive vice chairman Bill McGawley, said: “When the public sector wanted to set up something like TDR, it said to businesses it wanted someone to run it.

“And it said ‘here’s Ron Dodd.’”

Also honoured at the event was British Engines’ third year apprentice Thomas Adamson.

The 21-year-old received a standing ovation as he collected the award for the Advanced Apprentice of the Year in engineering.

He said: “When I left school I didn’t have the best grades, not realising that you need them to get on, but I’ve now put that right and I’m thrilled to get this award.”

Mr McGawley added that despite people’s impression, there is an exciting future for engineering and science businesses but many firms had overlooked the need to maintain a well-trained workforce.

He noted that British Engines was an exception, though, having taken on hundreds of apprentices over the years.

TDR was set up 11 years ago by British Engines and other local engineering and science companies to ensure apprentices were equipped with relevant initial training.

Their aim is to develop workforces with high quality modern apprentices, and to promote engineering as an exciting career for young people.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .