William Davis Homes announces Apprentice of the Year

Regional developer William Davis Homes has announced a 19-year-old carpenter/joiner as its Apprentice of the Year 2017.

Loughborough-based Ben Smith, who has been with the company two years, won the prize, with fourth-year apprentice bricklayer Jake Dominy runner-up and receiving the Endeavour Award.

Jake’s job skills have been widely recognised already this year, with him being named East Midlands SkillBuild champion and then finishing fourth in the national finals; and the young man has also received the Leicester College Apprenticeship Award for bricklaying: as a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year category in the Leicester Mercury Education Awards, which take place tonight (Thursday 7 December), he may even add another trophy to his collection.

With William Davis Homes launching their in-house event in 1971, they are proud of the fact that half the former winners still work for them, including a number at senior management level.

The company’s M&E and apprentice manager, Gary Long, is proud of both winners of this year’s event: “Ben has not only achieved excellent academic results in his studies at Leicester College but also demonstrated a positive approach to his apprenticeship. Ben’s mentors regularly praise his progression and determination to make the most of every learning opportunity; describing him as conscientious, well-mannered and enthusiastic. A popular member of his site team, Ben is a deserving winner of the 2017 Apprentice of the Year award.”

Amanda Drabant, CITB apprenticeship officer added: “It’s been difficult this year to help choose the correct two winners as there were many potential candidates. Ben and Jake are polite, dedicated and keen to learn; and each of them shows very promising signs of becoming an exceptional tradesman. They both consistently demonstrate what we have come to expect of award-winning apprentices.”