Mitchell Shore, 22, from Derby Crowned ‘JTL Electrical Apprentice of the Year’.
One of the UK’s leading training providers for young people in England and Wales, JTL, gathered together the six best apprentices of 2015 and celebrated their successes at the organisation’s annual awards ceremony. Held at Drapers’ Hall in the City of London on Tuesday 1 March, the finalists – all first place winners in their respective regions – were chosen from JTL’s current cohort of 6,000 learners to compete for the accolade of ‘Electrical Apprentice of the Year’.
Mitchell Shore (pictured) from the Midlands won the 2015 crown and was presented with his award by JTL Chief Executive, Jon Graham.
“Our prize-giving represents the culmination of some keenly fought competitions across the country,” says Jon. “As always, it was a difficult process to pick out one exceptional person from what is, without doubt, an outstanding group of candidates. We look after thousands of learners each year, so all of the finalists should be rightly proud to have reached our national final in London.
“As always, it was a difficult process to pick out one exceptional person from what is, without doubt, an outstanding group of candidates.”
“The JTL awards highlight the importance of good quality apprenticeships and they also recognise the brilliant young talent that exists in the building services engineering sector. Our conversations with some of the finalists have been nothing short of inspirational – this is a gifted group of young people and their successes are a reminder of the vital role that work-based learning programmes can play in the lives of young people. With the future of the industry in hands of this calibre, I feel very optimistic!
“Special mention must go to Mitchell, who has done an outstanding job in achieving this accolade. He performed exceptionally well at the interview stage and his dedication and entrepreneurial spirit marked him out in a remarkable year group. We wish him every future success.”
Mitchell, who attended West Park Community School in Spondon, Derby, reports a fascination with electrical systems from an early age – a fact which made his career decisions relatively straightforward. Having sent out 180 applications for apprenticeships in Derbyshire and been offered several positions, Mitchell completed his JTL apprenticeship with M&R Electrical Ltd in Burton upon Trent and has since gone on to set up his own company, LECAW Electrical Services.
During his apprenticeship, Mitchell worked four days a week on site and studied at Derby College on the remaining day.
“It took me several seconds to realise it was me that had won JTL’s National Apprentice Award, especially because the other candidates had such great experience and credentials behind them,” says Mitchell. “I felt truly elated and I was also pretty humbled by the whole experience. It definitely goes down as one of the most exciting and challenging few minutes of my life so far!
“I sincerely thank Peter Bunting, my JTL Training Officer, for all his help, commitment and hard work throughout my three years with JTL. He was a great mentor, giving me the guidance and confidence without which it would have been much harder to achieve this great accolade.”
The finalists (and their employers during their apprenticeship) were:
Daniel Hooper, London and the East of England (Lund Roberts Electrical Engineers and Contractors)
Mitchell Shore, Midlands (M&R Electrical Ltd)
Ryan Cormican, North East (Intelect UK Ltd)
Neil Richardson, North West (PPS Electrical Ltd)
Samantha Jones, Southern (Melvin John Electrical Contracting Ltd)
Daniel Herridge, Wales (Cwmbran Electrical Services Ltd)
To qualify for the regional and national Apprentice of the Year’ titles, candidates were nominated by their JTL training officers thanks to their exceptional classroom work, outstanding practical abilities and excellent employer feedback. The potential winners attended formal interviews and practical assessments conducted by JTL’s senior management team both for the regional events and prior to the national final.
