On one of the major highlights in the college calendar, students celebrated their achievements with family, tutors, employers and sponsors at York Sports Club.
Sally Austin, Group HR Director at Barratt Developments, also paid her first-ever visit to York as Guest Speaker, having earlier enjoyed a tour of College’s multi-million pound Construction and Engineering Centre Extension, which opened in January.
She even admitted being jealous of the Sim Balk Lane-based students, pointing out that she did not benefit from access to such high-specification surroundings and equipment during the formative years of her educational journey in the industry.
Addressing guests at the Shipton Road venue, Ms Austin spoke about her career, Barratt’s apprenticeship provision and her love of Construction, as well as her hopes for the sector’s future.
She said: “We have a fantastic relationship with York College. The apprenticeship record we have here is absolutely exceptional – a third complete their course with Distinction grades and we really love being a key partner.
“I have seen the state-of-the-art facilities in the brand-new Construction Extension and I would love to go back in time and do it all again by being a student here. We need more people in the industry and the more we talk about and celebrate role models and ambassadors like tonight’s award winners the easier it will be to attract future generations into the sector.”
Ibrahim Adam and Emma Hargreaves respectively won the prestigious Governors’ and Principal’s Awards on the evening, while Abigail Stevens received the distinguished York Guild of Building’s Silver Award and Matthew Clayton picked up the Bronze Award.
The Guild’s Court Member Bernard Turgoose made both of those presentations.
Ibrahim started out on York College’s Painting & Decorating entry-level course before moving onto the Level 1 Diploma, with a joint tutors’ statement also praising the commitment he has shown to improving his English language skills.
The statement read: “Ibrahim has worked extremely hard over his two years at College and even dedicates an extra day a week to study English to improve his reading, writing and language skills. His dedication and resilience have been an absolute joy to observe.
“He is on track to pass his Level 1 Painting & Decorating Diploma, which will be a huge milestone for Ibrahim. Polite, always asking questions and striving to improve every day, the passion Ibrahim shows for the trade really shines through.
“His attendance, punctuality and overall attitude have also been excellent and, as tutors, we couldn’t ask for a better student.”
HNC Construction & Build Environment student Emma was unable to attend the event after being delayed by traffic in Leeds but her joint tutors’ statement read: “Emma has achieved a Distinction grade in every unit that she has studied over the past two years, which is eight in total.
“A testament to her hard work is how she was spurred on to excel in units that she had limited prior experience or knowledge of, which came as no surprise to the teaching team. Emma is currently deciding which degree programme to progress on to and we are sure she will go on to greater and greater achievements throughout her career within the industry.”
York College Principal & Chief Executive Ken Merry, meanwhile, expressed his pride in the quality of the Construction Department’s work, especially in the context of his own questionable DIY skills.
Joking that he possesses “really soft hands,” Ken went on to admit: “I have never managed to do anything that involves building bricks and painting walls and I even struggle with an IKEA flat pack, so I find it really exciting when I walk around the Construction department and see some of the fantastic work that our students do. Construction remains one of the top-priority areas in every region of the country and the demand for skills in the industry has never been greater, so this next generation of talent has never been needed more.”
The other awards winners on the night were:
Apprenticeship Brickwork Student of the Year Award sponsored by The York Handmade Brick Company – Kalen Joy (Employer Persimmon Homes Ltd)
Apprenticeship Carpentry & Joinery Student of the Year Award sponsored by Barratt Development – Matthew Rogers (Employer Gemini Worktops)
Apprenticeship Painting and Decorating Student of the Year Award sponsored by Bagnalls – Matthew Clayton (Employer Bagnalls)
Apprenticeship Stonemasonry Student of the Year Award sponsored by York Consortium for Craft and Conservation – Adam Lee (Employer Calder Masonry Ltd)
Apprenticeship Plumbing Student of the Year Award sponsored by Charles Garth – Reuben Philpott (Employer Vanguard Heating)
Apprenticeship Electrical Student of the Year Award sponsored by Judge Electrical Ltd – Philip Branton (York St John University)
Apprenticeship Professional & Technical Student of the Year Award sponsored by North Yorkshire Construction Training Group – Christopher Stevenson (Barley Studios Ltd)
Full-Time Brickwork Student of the Year Award sponsored by Persimmon Homes Ltd – Lewis Summersgill
Full-Time Carpentry & Joinery Student of the Year Award sponsored by Wates Construction Ltd – Aspen Charlton
Full-Time Painting & Decorating Student of the Year Award sponsored by Bagnalls – Emily Roberts
Full-Time Plumbing Student of the Year Award sponsored by John Sisk & Son – Lexi Callaghan
Full-Time Electrical Student of the Year Award sponsored by York Central – Herbie Oxtoby Wilkinson
Full-Time Professional & Technical Student of the Year Award sponsored by Chartered Institute of Building – Daniel Hogben
