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BAE praises its new generation
(Hull Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Bae Systems says its apprentices are key to the future of its Brough plant.
The aerospace giant, which is East Yorkshire's biggest private sector employer, has held its 76th annual Apprentice Merit Awards to shine a spotlight on its most successful trainees.
The site employs more than 2,000 people and most of its work is focused on building Hawk trainer jets.
The plant is a cornerstone of the local economy and BAE Systems' Brough plant director, Tony Arksey, said the company was proud to be recruiting a new generation of employees to lead the plant into the future.
He said: "Apprentices and graduates are key to our future success.
"We remain committed to the apprenticeship programme, to maintaining our annual apprentice intake and to training and developing our people.
"These young people are the managers, the specialist engineers, the professional staff, and the skilled operators of the future and they will provide the capability and skills for the Brough site as we go forward.
"I am very proud of all they have achieved and wish them all success for the future." The most historic award is the Robert Blackburn Memorial Prize, named after the Brough site's founder, for first-year apprentice of the year.
This year it was won by Colin Boyce, 18, of Elloughton. The trophy was presented by Mr Blackburn's grandson, Damian Rayne.
Other apprentices honoured included Daniel Smith, 19. of Hull, who won the Hull College Award for the most outstanding student on an aeronautical engineering course.
The BAE Systems Advanced Apprenticeship programme is one of the largest of its kind in the UK. At any one time, the company has up to 1,000 young people employed on its many training schemes.
Apprentices can train in skills from engineering to business administration and information technology.
The awards ceremony also saw sheet metal workers Jamie Adamson and Daniel Pomone receive trophies from the Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering (ISME).
Mr Pomone, 18, of Hedon, and Mr Adamson, 19, of Selby, were honoured at the ISME Sheet Metal Skills Competition 2006, beating competition from 50 other apprentices from around the country.
In October, BAE finally secured the GBP450m deal to build Hawk jets for the Ministry of Defence, securing the site's medium-term future.
The company hopes the deal will act as a springboard to help it win more Hawk contracts to secure the site's long-term future.
a.houghton@hdmp.co.uk Links BAE Systemswww.baesystems.com Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering www.isme.org.uk
Copyright 2006 Northcliffe Newspapers Group Ltd
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