An Edinburgh-based carpenter and joiner has been named joint winner of the Adult Apprentice of the Year award by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC) at a ceremony held in the Scottish Parliament.
30 year old Alexander Lind was nominated for the award by his employer, Truebuild Trade Services Ltd, in recognition of his having demonstrated high standards in both theory and practical work and in particular his commitment to helping others both on and off site.
Having worked in a range of jobs before joining Truebuild Trade Services, Alexander’s employer praised his leadership qualities, helpful nature, professionalism and his ability in his current role to make positive use of all of the skills he has developed over the years. They also highlighted his recent trip to Namibia, where he put his skills to the test renovating a house to enable it to be used to support young children in the local community.
Now in their 17th year, the SBATC Apprenticeship Awards are organised by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC) to recognise the considerable talents, skills and abilities of construction apprentices working across Scotland. The Awards assess candidates according to their practical and academic ability alongside other important skills such as organisation, communication and the ability to perform in a team.
Alexander was named joint winner of the Adult Apprentice of the Year award alongside Daniel Barr, an apprentice plasterer who works for PBR Building Services in Coatbridge. This year’s awards ceremony also included the presentation of three other awards. Scott Boyle, a Greenock apprentice ceiling fixer employed by Brian Henderson Interiors Ltd, won the Construction Specialist Apprentice of the Year Award. Paul Thain, a plant maintenance apprentice with Subsea 7 in Caithness, won the Civil Engineering Apprentice of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Glen Thomson a bricklayer from Ellon was named Apprentice of the Year 2016 and winner of the James Birnie award for craft excellence.
Commenting on behalf of Alexander’s employer, Paul Dempsey of Truebuild Trade Services Ltd. said: “Alexander is an asset to the whole team and we are so pleased to see him named 2016 Adult Apprentice of the Year. His professionalism, ability to co-ordinate the team and true desire to help others is inspirational. We are extremely proud of all the work he does both on and off site, particularly his charity work in Edinburgh.”
Scottish Government Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn MSP said: “Congratulations to all the apprentices who have been recognised for their hard work and dedication. The Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC) is an excellent platform to nurture and support apprentices in the construction industry and these inspiring success stories show the real benefit apprenticeships make to individuals, employers and the Scottish economy.
“We have already supported more than 128,000 new Modern Apprenticeship starts in the last Parliamentary term, and I have recently announced plans to deliver on our ambitious commitment in supporting 30,000 Modern Apprenticeships starts by 2020. This means even more people and employers will be able to benefit from work based learning and apprenticeships.”
SBATC Chairman Gavin Hay said: “Apprenticeships continue to be the lifeblood of the Scottish construction industry and the industry continues to punch well above its weight in terms of the high number and outstanding quality of apprenticeship opportunities we are able to offer. Once again this year, it’s great to be able to celebrate the remarkable achievements and universally high standard of all those shortlisted for the SBATC Apprenticeship Awards. My congratulations to all of the winners and I wish them the very best of luck for their future careers.”
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