MP for Blyth Valley Ian Levy has launched the inaugural Draeger Apprentice of the Year Award.
The winner will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at the Blyth Valley Apprenticeship Fair on February 10.
That person will receive a trophy, as well as an all expenses paid trip to the House of Commons and an overnight stay in a London hotel for them and somebody from their employer.
Ian Levy MP has spoken about why he has launched this award and the importance of making people aware of apprenticeship opportunities available in their area.
“I am committed to promoting apprenticeships as an important route for people in Blyth Valley to develop a great career. University or full-time college education is not for everybody and employers are increasingly seeing apprenticeships and a great way to attract and train the talent they need.
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"I’m really grateful to Draeger for sponsoring the award. They are an excellent company who are themselves committed to apprenticeship programmes. I’m encouraging anybody eligible to apply and receive the recognition you and your employer deserve.”
Draeger is a German company which makes breathing and protection equipment, gas detection and analysis systems and non-invasive patient monitoring technologies. Their primary customers are hospitals, fire departments and diving companies. They have UK offices in Blyth, Aberdeen and Hemel Hempstead and during the pandemic, the companies capacity quadrupled due to demand for their ventilators.
Malcolm Irving, head of global supply chain management at Draeger has also talked about sponsoring the first year of the apprentice awards.
“We’re really pleased to be sponsoring this inaugural award. Apprenticeships are a key strand of our recruitment for our future workforce and we’re delighted to be able to help promote them to other employers and to potential candidates.”
Companies can nominate on behalf of apprentices or they can apply themselves by completing a simple form on Ian Levy's website.
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