A Sunderland College engineering apprentice’s hard work and dedication throughout his training has been recognised by Britain’s leading manufacturing organisation.
Jake Richardson, who is studying an apprenticeship in Advanced Manufacturing, won the Engineering Apprentice of the Year: Final Year prize at the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside Make UK Awards, which were held online.
Developed for apprentices who have done the most to seize the training and development opportunities presented to them during the final year of their course, the award rewards their achievements and the contribution they have made to their employer.
Jake, who achieved a distinction in HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, is completing his apprenticeship at ZF Automotive UK, will now compete for the national award, the date of which will be announced soon.
“I am extremely happy to have won the Make UK regional award,” said the 22-year-old from Peterlee. “The award has given me an amazing feeling for all the hard work and effort that I put in. It has shown that an apprenticeship was the right choice for me as I received on-the-job training, got paid and had the opportunity to study engineering at college.
“I would personally like to thank Make UK for organising these awards, and I am sure all the participants appreciate the recognition the awards brought for all their hard work also.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Sunderland College who have supported me through my course.”
John Richardson, Engineering and EHS Manager at ZF Automotive UK, added: “I would like to congratulate Jake on winning the North East, Yorkshire & Humberside Engineering Apprentice: Final Year, it is an excellent achievement.
“He is a worthy recipient of the award, as he has proved to be hard working and dependable apprentice who has a positive attitude, a good eye for detail, and is fully aware of the importance of the quality of his work.
“I am sure winning such a prestigious Make UK award will only help further his professional development.”
The Make UK Manufacturing Awards highlight and celebrate manufacturers and their apprentices who have done exceptional work in the sector, celebrating their dedication, resilience and ingenuity.
Wayne Smith, Engineering Programme Leader at the college, said: “We are extremely proud of Jake gaining the recognition he deserves as a final year apprentice at ZF Automotive UK.
“Sunderland College and ZF Automotive work very closely together on their apprenticeship programme and it has been fantastic to see Jake make a valuable contribution.
“As the engineering and manufacturing sector focuses on the importance of up-skilling, cross-skilling and retraining, apprenticeships are a great way of bringing talent into businesses.
“Jake is a prime example of how apprentices can provide a positive impact if given the opportunity, and we wish him the very best of luck at the national awards.”
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98% of our students progress to a positive destination
(*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).
Our achievement rates are well above the national average.
We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study.
(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)
We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.
