Winner of the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category at the Apprenticeship Awards 2006.

John started work as a telecommunications apprentice at Orange in 2002. He completed his Advanced Apprenticeship in record time in September last year and now works within the Field Operations team at Orange.

When John gave two presentations at the Telecommunications Skills Action Group Careers Conference, David Willett, Skills Development Manager of e-skills UK, paid tribute to his outstanding achievements and professionalism. John is described by his colleagues as “living proof of not only how an Apprenticeship can benefit a business but also how it can turn around a person’s life.”

John freely admits that when he left school he lacked motivation and jumped from job to job for a while, uncertain what direction to take until the opportunity of his apprenticeship came along.

“I’m so happy that now I’m an engineer I can start giving back to the programme,” says John, who’s now 24.  “I have been involved in reviewing the apprentice training plan within teams of skilled engineers and technical managers. I hope to continue working closely with Technical Development team so I can put forward my ideas to help new apprentices enjoy their life-changing experience as much as I did.”

John completed all of his Apprenticeship objectives before any other Orange apprentice nationally. He says; “I worked hard to finish my objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible, this gave me the opportunity to request involvement in more business critical tasks. My managers have always come back to me with an exciting new challenge.”

Since winning the Advanced Apprentice of the Year award 2006, John is now the dedicated trainer of new apprentices in the Midlands Region. “I have 2 new apprentices out with me this year, I’m pleased that my managers have deemed me capable to teach the new apprentices and I won’t let them down, hopefully I’ll be filling in nomination forms for these two next year!”

John put his apprenticeship achievements into perspective when he said, “Winning the award was a fantastic feeling. It felt great knowing I’d received such solid recognition for the work I put in, but my apprenticeship was a reward in itself. It’s given me technical skills, life skills and a college education. Above all, it has given me the opportunity to build myself a life changing career”