Bryn’s hard work and positive attitude pays dividends

Posted on by karen.smith

An engineer who impressed his bosses so much during his Apprenticeship that they offered him a permanent job at Wylfa Power Station on Anglesey, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Bryn Arfon Jones, 21, is one of 28 finalists in nine categories of the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, organised by the Welsh Government in partnership with the National Training Federation Wales (NTfW).

The Apprenticeship Awards Cymru recognise the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers involved in the delivery of quality Apprenticeships across Wales. Apprenticeship and Traineeship programmes in Wales are funded by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund.

The winners will be announced at a high profile awards presentation ceremony at Venue Cymru, Llandudno on Wednesday, October 24, where the winners of the National Training Awards for Wales will also be recognised. The joint awards which will be attended by around 300 key stakeholders from the vocational education and training sector across Wales.

Sponsor of the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, which aim to showcase excellence in skills development in Wales, is Pearson and media partner is Media Wales.

Bryn, an Apprentice of the Year finalist, left school at 16 to study engineering at Coleg Menai and then secured a placement working for Magnox at Wylfa, which led on to his Apprenticeship.

He studied diligently, attending college once a week and achieving his NVQ Level 3 a year ahead of schedule. He now has his Higher National Certificate in Engineering and wants to study for a degree in mechanical or nuclear engineering.

“This Apprenticeship has been great for me,” said Bryn. “I’ve had fantastic support from the team at Wylfa and have learned so many new skills.

“I’m very proud to be part of the maintenance team. I’ve been given the confidence to go out on plant and take the lead on jobs and also to put forward my own ideas to overcome problems. In future I’d like to become a senior production technician and then hopefully a systems engineer.”

Bryn – who was Welsh Nuclear Apprentice of the Year 2012 and a finalist in the UK Nuclear National Apprentice of the Year – is also a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) ambassador, visiting local schools to encourage children to consider careers in these areas.

Dafydd Edwards, his manager at Wylfa, said: “He demonstrates the positive attitude, keenness and standards that any employer wants to see in an apprentice, or in fact any worker.”

Deputy Minister for Skills, Jeff Cuthbert said: “These awards recognise excellence by individuals, employers and learning providers in delivering training. I am delighted with the standard of this year’s finalists and the variety across all ages and sectors, which shows the strength of the skills being delivered in Wales.

“All the finalists have an inspiring story to tell and are great ambassadors for apprenticeship and other programmes in Wales.

“The skills acquired through programmes, such as Apprenticeships, provide great benefits to individuals and employers, helping make Welsh businesses more competitive.

“The Welsh Government is committed to creating more apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Wales and continuing to support employers who are willing to offer high quality apprenticeship places.”

The National Training Federation for Wales is a network 116 quality assured work based training providers with links to 35,000 employers across Wales.

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