Paint tech scoops top award

Babcock ran its second annual Automotive Apprentice of the Year competition on 31 March 2015 in its search for its best and brightest automotive apprentices.

Babcock’s Technical Training Academy in Milton Keynes welcomed 24 apprentices from across the UK, nine of which competed in its body, paint, and mechanical, electrical and trim (MET) competitions. Tasks were set up to test the skills, methodology and processes of all the candidates in set time frames.

The winners from all five competition categories were:

Babcock Parts Advisor Apprentice of the Year: David Lambert, John Deere Group
Babcock Paint Technician Apprentice of the Year: Matt Savage, VWG Paint and Body
Babcock Panel Technician Apprentice of the Year: Kyle Harbour, BMW UK
Babcock MET Technician Apprentice of the Year: Andrew Harvey, VWG Paint and Body
Babcock Service Technician Apprentice of the Year: Charlie Phipps, John Deere

Matt Savage from the VWG Paint and Body network was also named overall Babcock Automotive Apprentice of the Year winner. Matt was awarded a year’s membership to the IMI.

Mike Hamilton, Babcock operations manager for automotive said, ‘We are immensely proud of all our competitors. To even be nominated to take part from over 1,000 apprentices that are currently completing Babcock Automotive Apprenticeship training is an achievement. Our winners are those that have really stood out from the crowd today and shown their capability to perform under pressure.’

The apprentices represented some of the UK’s leading vehicle manufacturers and fleet providers were represented including Audi, BMW, Fiat John Deere, Mazda, SEAT, Skoda, Royal Mail Group and Volkswagen Paint and Body.