Westbury apprentice, Jonathon Miller has been honoured at a prestigious House of Lords reception.
Jonathon Miller, a trainee operations manager at rail freight operator DB Cargo UK, received an award at West Nottinghamshire College Group’s annual ‘celebration of apprenticeships’.
Held in the historic Westminster building’s Cholmondeley Room, it recognised the hard work and commitment of current and former apprentices and their employers.
Jonathon is based at DB Cargo UK’s Westbury Depot, where he is working towards a level 2 rail services shunting apprenticeship. He was nominated by the college’s employer engagement lead for rail, David Green, who said, “Jonathon has excelled at completing all of his training and passed his assessment with flying colours. He is seen as a very valued member of his team and has made excellent progress, asking lots of questions to stretch himself further.”
Speaking of the accolade, Jonathon said, “I was really proud to be one of only a small number of people out of almost 13,000 apprentices to receive an award.
“It was a big surprise to be nominated, which made it even nicer. I had an absolutely brilliant day – the House of Lords is a breath-taking venue and I met some really nice people.
“Above all, it was an honour to represent DB Cargo UK. I’m hard-working, a keen learner and want to progress within the company, so it’s nice to be recognised for that.”
In a double success for DB Cargo UK, the company was named as one of three ‘employer of the year’ winners at the same awards. The company was recognised for its commitment to providing high-quality apprenticeship opportunities to young people, with the aim of plugging a management skills gap in the industry.
After joining forces with Vision Apprentices – the college group’s apprenticeship training arm – the company is successfully nurturing its future leaders through apprenticeship programmes in operational and engineering management roles.
Awards to apprentices and employers were presented by Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), and Sherwood MP and government Whip Mark Spencer. The high-profile event was once again hosted by The Rt Hon Baroness Prashar CBE, a cross-bench peer who has led several public and voluntary organisations.
