Weston College Business Awards 2016

The winners of the Weston College Business Awards have been announced.

Employers, apprentices, key college partners and Governors attended the glittering awards evening on Thursday 9^th June 2016 hosted by Weston College’s Principal and Chief Executive Dr Paul Phillips, OBE, held at Cadbury House Hotel in Congresbury.

Business Administration apprentice, Toni Squires, won the prestigious Principal’s Award ‘Apprentice of the Year’ and also came top in the business administration category. Toni was presented with a gold trophy and a £500 cheque, kindly donated by Flexiform.

Toni is employed by Aztec Property Valuers; her initial role was to assist the administrator in processing new valuation instructions from clients and to manage the filing system. Within a few months of hard work, dedication, a willingness to learn and an urge to be the best she could be, she had progressed to managing the valuation instruction process, which is a significant promotion and a complex role for somebody who started with no office or property valuing experience.

After receiving her awards Toni said: “I’m really happy about winning, I didn’t expect it. It’s a real reflection of the progress I have made.

“I’m looking forward to progressing in further qualifications and within the company”.

GKN Aerospace won the Principal’s Award for ‘Employer of the Year’ and ‘Large Business Employer of the Year’. GKN Aerospace launched a flagship apprenticeship programme with Weston College in September 2015 and will taking a second intake of apprentices in September 2016.

Barry Channing, Technical and Apprentice Training Leader, for GKN Aerospace said: “Our current first year apprentices are the best we’ve had for many years and we are very much looking forward to taking them forward into the business and growing them further.

“It’s nice to see so many different employees and employers here of varying sectors, so for us it’s a fantastic award and really pleasing to take away Employer of the Year”.

The keynote speaker for the evening was, Sally Gunnell OBE. Sally is an Olympic gold medallist and the only woman ever to hold four major track titles concurrently – Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth.

Sally said: “What’s great is that Weston College really support all the apprentices and give them the confidence to be able to learn the skills needed to start their career.

Dr Paul Phillips, OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College said: “It was a fantastic evening and I feel very proud of all our apprentices and business partners. Congratulations to all award winners!”

The winners are:

Large Business Employer of the Year – GKN Aerospace

Medium Business Employer of the Year – Priddy Engineering Services

Small Business Employer of the Year – Gilly’s on the Hill

New Business Employer of the Year – South Western Housing

Work Experience Provider of the Year – Alliance Living Care

Working in Partnership – Thatchers Cider

Business Administration Apprentice of the Year – Toni Squires, Aztec Property Valuers

Professional Services Apprentice of the Year – Billy Walker, Symmetry

Childcare Apprentice of the Year – Emily Athay, HoneyTree Nursery

Engineering Apprentice of the Year – Joe Martin, GKN Aerospace

Health, Public Services and Social Care Apprentice of the Year – Lynne Hobbs, BrunelCare

Hospitality and Catering Apprentice of the Year – Cloe Hynam, Gilly’s on the Hill

Teaching Assistant of the Year – Kirsty Garrett, Westhaven School

Construction and Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year – Sam Taylor, Priddy Engineering

Hair and Beauty Apprentice of the Year -Verity Panter, Broad Street