The South West Apprenticeship Awards took place last month, at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol. We are thrilled that George, an apprenticeship learner at the college, won both Apprentice of the Year (Construction & Property Industries) and South West Apprentice of the Year, after being nominated initially by his college mentor.

George is currently completing the Level 3 Advanced Civil Engineering Apprenticeship with Mott MacDonald.

We were lucky enough to catch up with George, and find out some more information about his win, and what led to his success, as well as plans for the future. George told us:

“The opportunity to earn while I learn was an absolute no-brainer for me, offering incredible prospects for young people in what can be a challenging world for those just starting out. Engaging in an apprenticeship gave me a solid foundation to pursue my aspirations and shape my career according to my desires. Learning directly from experienced industry professionals and collaborating with them immediately was an invaluable advantage that I immediately embraced.

“Their wealth of knowledge enriched me in ways I could never have achieved within the confines of a classroom. My determination helped me to constantly pursue my goals, which made the apprenticeship a perfect fit for me, as I eagerly seized every opportunity to grow and fully exploit all the possibilities presented to me. “The A428 really helped me with my application process due to it being such a complex project. It gave me the opportunity to develop skills in managing and developing pavement models and drawings for multiple assets whilst implementing the correct engineering standards regarding the Polished Stone Value (PSV), Foundation and Pavement Treatment types. My commitment led me to identify unsafe design decisions and challenge practices that could impact cost and the environment.

“The support from Weston College has been unmatched; the in-classroom course is very informative and well-structured. The training providers are always great communicators and support me in many ways for internal work and external coursework. The college is also there to develop non-education-related skills, such as my softer skills, which I will carry throughout my career.

“I was very excited and happy to have won my category and was thrilled to have won the overall award, and it is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. My placement providers were over the moon and proud of me and were sure to let me know how proud they were on the night and had some great conversations with people within the company that night. My line manager was the most pleased!

“The event was great, with some great networking at the start, a great host, and many great categories celebrating all types of awards in the South West. The food was also amazing, and I had family attend, friends, and members within the company with whom I work very closely.

“My career aspirations are to complete my level 3 apprenticeship and then progress onto the level 6 apprenticeship, where I will achieve my civil engineering degree. At the end of this, I will have 8 years of experience in the industry. Within these 8 years of experience, I wish to have gained experience as a respectable design engineer and managing a drawing production team. Then I want to achieve my Chartership from the ICE to open an opportunity where I then hope to be able to take up a role still within my company however, in Australia, where I will relocate to and hopefully progress to gain experience as a design manager, I will then wait for an opportunity as a design manager in the United States. I will then move to the United States where I will hopefully continue to be a successful design manager."

Thanks George, and best of luck for the future!