Bury St Edmunds apprentice scoops top accolade and joins national body

A 19-year-old apprentice has scooped a top accolade and joined a national body to help shape future work training for young people.

Andrew Baber, who joined ChassisCab’s Bury St Edmunds dealership in 2013, is part of the DAF Trucks National Dealer Apprenticeship scheme and was honoured as a ‘first year’ winner of last year’s awards programme.

He received a cheque for £300, a tool voucher and a tool trolley as his prize.

To win the award, he demonstrated his practical skills at a pre-ceremony skill session assessed by DAF’s training partner Skillnet and the City of Bristol College where he studies on a block-attendance basis as part of his three-year apprenticeship.

Andrew, of Bury, also joined the Industry Apprentice Council, which is the national voice of industry apprentices, and met the government’s apprenticeship ambassador to business Gordon Birtwistle.

In his new role, he gave feedback on his experience as an apprentice and discussed changes he would like to see implemented to apprenticeship training in the future.

He said: “I’m delighted that I have hit the ground running with my apprenticeship at ChassisCab. I think I must have inherited the genes to be a mechanic as both of my grandfathers were involved in the transport sector - one as a technician and one in sales.”