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'Trainee of the Year' national industry awards success

Eastleigh College’s James Lopes, who is doing an engineering apprenticeship with air conditioning and refrigeration specialists, Scotford & Teasdale, has gained recognition at the industry’s National ACR 'Trainee of the Year' awards.

James, who has worked with Oxfordshire-based Scotford & Teasdale for three years, was presented with his award at a ceremony at The Belfry in Birmingham.

Scotford & Teasdale’s Marketing Director, Mary Anne Jones, said: “James’ attitude to learning has enabled him to get the most out of both his college studies and his on-the-job training. In work, he puts customers first, always happy to work extra or anti-social hours to suit their specific requirements. James has quickly made a significant contribution to the Scotford & Teasdale team.”

Eastleigh College's Vice Principal, Matt Phelps, said: "This is great news for James who works very hard and represents everything that makes a successful apprentice. His success is also evidence of how apprentices who work with proactive and supportive employers, can emable the business to harness the benefits of the apprenticeship scheme to help fill a skills gap sometimes faced by the industry, and secure a workforce for the future."

Mary Anne added: “We have trained numerous apprentices over the years and it has been extremely successful for us. As a small business it can be very difficult to find new engineers with the right level of skill and experience. The apprenticeship scheme allows us to ‘grow our own’ meaning we can employ bright people and train them with the exact capabilities and work ethic we need for our business."