Member Article

Site engineer handpicked for prestigious award

One of Jones Bros’ site engineers has been selected for a prestigious award.

Rhys Roberts, 24, from Corwen, has been chosen by the ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers) as the winner of its Ben Barr award for newly professionally qualified civil engineer 2015 (engineering technician). The win followed an interview by a panel of senior engineers.

The annual award, which was presented to Rhys at the ICE Wales Cymru Awards evening, recognises exceptional talent in recently qualified engineers.

The award marks the latest success for Rhys who has progressed significantly since joining Jones Bros as a trainee in 2007. Earlier this year he became the firm’s first former trainee to achieve an industry accreditation when he completed his registration as an engineering technician with ICE.

He is also a former runner up in the Most Promising Trainee Civil Engineer category in the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Wales awards.

Rhys, who has spent the last 18 months on site at Vattenfall’s 76-turbine Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project, the UK’s largest onshore wind farm, as part of a joint venture contract for civil and electrical work with Balfour Beatty, said: “It’s such a good feeling to have been selected for this award.

“I didn’t think I had done enough in the interview and I was completely surprised when I got the call saying I had won.

Rhys is a graduate of Jones Bros’ successful trainee and apprenticeship programme. The training department won both the Outstanding Training Partner Gold Award at the 2014 CITB Pride of Construction Awards, and the Large Apprentice Employer of the Year, Wales award at the CITB National Apprenticeship Awards.

The Ben Barr award is named in honour of the late Professor Benjamin Isaac George Barr who, as well as lecturing at Cardiff University, held several senior roles at ICE.

Eryl Roberts, major projects manager at Jones Bros, who has worked with Rhys at Pen y Cymoedd, said: “Rhys fully deserves this award and it speaks volumes about his ability that ICE has handpicked him to win it.

“He is a very popular member of the team and has shown himself to be extremely talented and capable since joining Jones Bros.”

Founded in the 1950s, Jones Bros employs approximately 300 people. It operates across the UK in sectors including construction of waste management facilities, highways and renewable energy projects such as wind farms.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .