Amey apprentices working on the Sheffield Streets Ahead and Norfolk Street Lighting contracts have received their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards (DofE).
The achievements of the eight youngsters highlight how Amey continue to support the skills of young people in its workforce. The group worked towards the awards while completing apprenticeships in highway maintenance, vehicle maintenance, street lighting, customer services, electrical operative and finance. They are now all employed permanently by Amey.
The eight individuals were presented with their Bronze Awards by Robert Allen, Amey Highways Business Director and Ian Hunter, Amey Apprenticeship Programme Manager, at an Amey Apprentice DofE Bronze Award Presentation celebration held at the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield on 18 January.
The Award ceremony was also attended by Michelle Blackburn, Duke of Edinburgh Operations Officer, who congratulated the ambitious group on their achievements.
Apprentice Joel Duce said: “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme gave me the opportunity to improve on the skills I had whilst at the same time meeting new people.
“The Apprenticeship Programme at Amey has enabled me to progress my career whilst giving me the opportunity to further my education.
“I particularly enjoyed the physical aspect of the award as it gave me an opportunity to focus on my health and fitness. I also had the opportunity to work on my communication skills which will help to develop my future career in customer services.”
The Bronze DofE programme consists of various activities designed to support young people in their social and personal development and provides huge benefits in supporting participants in life and work. They complete elements of the bronze award in their own time as well as learning a new job and going to college.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is widely recognised as the world’s leading youth achievement award, transforming the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life. Across the country, Amey encourages apprentices to accept the challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which has a range of modules that test and improve fitness, teach new skills and give something back to the community.
Robert Allen, Amey Business Director said: “It was a privilege to present these apprentices with their well-deserved Bronze Awards, which have been achieved as a result of their unwavering efforts”.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene at Sheffield City Council, Councillor Bryan Lodge, said: “It’s fantastic to see a group of individuals from Sheffield benefiting from Amey’s apprenticeship scheme and being recognised for their dedication through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
“The group have had the chance to work on all aspects of the city’s Streets Ahead highways improvement programme, which will enable them to be prepared for future roles and new challenges.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award was an opportunity seized by Sheffield apprentices Ryan Cooper, Jack Dale, Joel Duce, Adam Flowers, Kitson Symonds, Billy Kitching and Lewis Smith as well as Deivydas Andriuskevicius from the Norfolk Street Lighting contract.
In Sheffield, Amey has recruited 70 apprentices over the past five years to work on the Sheffield Streets Ahead contract, giving them on-the-job training whilst studying for their NVQ Level two or three. Over 70% of apprentices choose to remain with Amey and have been successful in securing permanent roles.
