ABERDEEN apprentice Darias Shade has been named top Scottish Apprentice 2017 in the Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB) Master Builder Awards.
The ceremony was attended by a number of high-profile guests, including the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. As part of the Master Builder Awards, the FMB carries out a nationwide search to find the building industry’s best apprentices.
Shade, who works as an apprentice builder for Barratt North Scotland, was chosen in a fiercely contested competition and recognised for his high standard of workmanship and professional attitude towards his work and his studies.
Nominated by his employer Barratt Homes, Shade has impressed his peers having won the title of Best College Bricklayer, Year One at the North East College while also training to become a CITB construction ambassador.
Shade had initially planned to study joinery but once he had picked up a trowel he realised that bricklaying is where his heart lies. It was clearly a good decision as the quality of his work has shone out with his college tutor declaring that he is “miles ahead in his model work”.
Shade has contributed greatly to the success and progress of the team on-site by always carrying out his duties in a professional manner and this has been noticed not just by the employer but also by the other apprentices.
The best in Scotland will now go up against other winning apprentices from around the UK with a chance to claim the coveted national Apprentice 2017 crown, as well as a cash prize of £500 from the FMB. The national winner will be celebrated at a ceremony held at the Intercontinental Park Lane Hotel in London in September.
Gordon Nelson, director of FMB Scotland, said: “This is a great opportunity for the FMB to reward the talented apprentices on which the Scottish construction industry will rely in the years to come.
“This award is a testament to their hard work and enthusiasm in their chosen occupation. Shade is a shining example of how commitment, dedication and determination can achieve results and we wish him luck in the national final.”
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