A JCB Group employee is celebrating after it was announced that he has won the inaugural Workshop Magazine Award’s Apprentice Technician of the Year.
Apprentice Samuel Warren (pictured centre) joined legions of the best and brightest from the garage industry at The Brewery in central London on December 12th for the awards, hosted by motor racing legend Johnny Herbert; former Le Mans Champion and Formula One veteran.
The awards praised the sector’s best apprentices, vehicle technicians, independent garages, suppliers and car manufacturers.
Samuel, who has been an employee of the JCB Group for two years and currently works at the Group’s Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles van centre (Eurovans) in Pevensey, Eastbourne was crowned apprentice of the year, with praise for his hard work, commitment and professionalism - on top of being an excellent technician.
This is the second Apprentice of the Year award Samuel has been honoured with, having scooped a coveted Volkswagen Best Apprentice Award earlier in the year. Given to best apprentices on the Volkswagen Apprentice scheme all over the globe, it honours outstanding performance and professional competence.
The Volkswagen apprenticeship programme is a nationwide scheme that offers training at Volkswagen Group’s state of the art learning facility in Milton Keynes, alongside workplace ‘on the job’ practical experience.
Samuel, began the three year apprenticeship in 2015, having previously worked as a tyre fitter: “I realised that there was little opportunity for career development in my previous role, so was looking for something that would engage my active mind, so the technician apprenticeship appealed to me.
“It definitely proved the right move. There’s a good mix of on the job experience and classroom work and I really enjoyed it. Winning these awards was surprising, but I’m really pleased to be recognised.”
Jonathan Bischoff, Managing Director of the JCB Group said: “It is no surprise to me that Samuel has been awarded Apprentice of the Year, his enthusiasm and perfectionism as a technician and his love of learning is quite incredible and no doubt he will continue to achieve within Eurovans, Eastbourne and carry on the faultless work he does on all of our customers’ vehicles.
“As a company, we are committed to the Volkswagen Group Apprentice Scheme which brings in new talent and provides education and support, in turn giving our customers the very best workshop repairs and vehicle maintenance available.”
James Baggott, founder and publisher of Workshop Magazine, said: “The aftermarket industry is hugely important to the UK economy, generating billions for the Treasury and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
“But it’s also an industry where people matter and make a real difference. In judging the hundreds of nominations for these awards from across the country we’ve heard so many stories about individuals and businesses that go above and beyond on a daily basis.
“The Workshop Awards were created to honour their commitment, hard work and passion.”
