The team came out top in a nationwide competition involving 80 of the country’s leading apprentice employers, supported by the National Apprenticeship Service.
This week the UKAEA Board met with the team and heard about their hard work to spread the word about apprenticeships. This included promoting the benefits to 180 employers, visiting schools and speaking with 1,500 students and reaching thousands through a Twitter campaign.
After winning the regional heat for London and the South East, the UKAEA team journeyed to the Brathay Trust headquarters in Cumbria for a series of challenges with the other seven finalists. The apprentices took on tasks to prove their strategic planning, team-building and communications skills – including raft-building, sending semaphore signals from hills in the Lake District, high-wire and product assembly contests, and rowing races.
David Godden, Team leader and third year apprentice, said:
We are ecstatic to have won the title of ‘apprentice team of the year’. The whole team has worked really hard, not only in the last few days but throughout the whole Challenge. We hope that winning the title will support our efforts to promote apprenticeships. We also hope that young people can use our journey as an inspiration for themselves. Hard work, determination and self-confidence are key in success.
Nick Boles MP, Skills Minister, offered his congratulations:
What an achievement to be crowned apprentice team of the year. The UKAEA apprentices have shown how getting stuck in and learning on the job gives you the skills to achieve great things. I hope their hard work in going out into the community and showcasing the opportunities an apprenticeship offers has inspired more young people to see it as their fast-track to a top career.