Newark-based Derry Building Services recognises outstanding apprentices for their efforts
After an unpredictable few years, apprentices have received awards thanks to their dedication and hard work throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first full in-person awards ceremony since before the pandemic engineering apprentices who had excelled at Derry Building Services gathered at the Deincourt Hotel in Newark for a celebration.
Every year the Newark-based company takes on apprentices, providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to carve out a career in mechanical or electrical engineering.
Two high achievers were Pierce Holmes who was named Mechanical Apprentice of the Year and Reuben Barnes was named Stage 4 Electrical Apprentice of the Year.
They said: “It’s been a really good experience. We’ve been here for four years and we’ve learnt a lot, we’ve been learning every day.
“It would be good to stay on at DBS, it’s a good company with good people. We’ve made a lot of friends here and I’d like to keep on learning.
“Hopefully we can build our way up by working on site but there are so many options open to us now in the future.”
The young apprentices weren’t the only ones being celebrated as long-serving members of staff were handed awards for remaining with the company for more than 25 years each.
The 12 recipients have worked for a combined 309 years of service.
The awards also represent a strong history within the company, as many of the most senior figures started their own careers off as apprentices.
Steve Hudson, divisional manager, is due to retire at Christmas as the longest serving member of the DBS team after 27 years.
He said: “I think the awards represent the longevity of the business. When I joined we only had 16 members of staff. Now we have 170 in the office and 250 company wide.
“We have had to adapt in that time.
“The industry has changed and the world has changed with it so we had to evolve. During the pandemic we never stopped. The office moved to work from home but the engineers still went out on site.”
Steve’s comments were echoed by Brian Hughes, company director, who will take on the mantle of longest-serving employee after Steve’s retirement.
He explained the importance of holding the awards, saying: “Evenings like this really demonstrate loyalty.
“In most places the average staff retention is between two and three years. But once you lose the staff, you lose their knowledge too. But here, it feels like I’m a part of a family business.
“So I’m incredibly proud of our apprentices. They are our future and hopefully they will still be here in another 25 years time.
Winners: Mechanical Apprentice of the Year, Pierce Holmes; Mechanical Achievment Award, Will Favill; Highly Commended Award, Ryan Bosworth. Electrical Apprentice of the Year (Stage 1), Liam Edlin; (Stage 2) Ben Williams; (Stage 3) Darik Sampson; (Stage 4) Reuben Barnes.