When Dave Coogan left school he decided not to go to university, but to pursue a more ‘hands-on’ career.
He applied for an apprenticeship with Knowsley Housing Trust, passed his interview and started training in gas installation and maintenance.
Now Dave’s enthusiasm and hard work has earned him the Construction Apprentice of the Year award at the North West Training Apprentice Awards.
He received his award – Presented by NWTC – at an awards Ceremony at Aintree racecourse.
Dave, 22, from Kirkby has been an apprentice gas engineer at KHT for the past four years. He said: “It was fantastic to win and it just motivates me to keep striving for my goals.”
As part of the judging process, Dave and 17 other finalists travelled to Cologne in Germany earlier this year on an industrial tour to gain an insight into what the construction and engineering industries are like there.
David had to produce two reports which helped the judges choose the winner, the first about his apprenticeship so far, the second about what he had learned from the trip to Cologne.
He said: “When I left sixth form I was considering university but I wanted something more hands on.
“KHT is very supportive of my studies and where I want to go in my career, and sponsored my trip to Germany.”
Dave gained A Levels in Business, IT, and Finance at All Saints Catholic Centre for Learning in Kirkby. He then decided to pursue a trade and applied to KHT, where his dad has also worked for 30 years.
During his time at KHT he has gained Level 2 & 3 NVQs in gas installation and maintenance. He is now studying in the evenings alongside his full-time job for a HND in business and management, and hopes to complete a degree.
He added: “The apprenticeship has definitely worked for me. If I’d gone to university I would have been in debt with no guarantee of a job at the end of it. Now I’m employed, I’ve got a trade and I’m still working towards a degree.”
Dave is no stranger to awards and has picked up seven in the past four years, including two Apprentice of the Year trophies.
In 2008 he won the First Year Progress award from the North West Training Council, which funds his apprenticeship, and in 2010 he won the Final Year Apprentice Progress award and the NW Training Council’s Triumph Trophy.
Last year he was a finalist for the Apprentice of the Year award with the NW Training Council and was also nominated as Apprentice of the Year in Knowsley Council’s Business Awards. More recently Dave was the winner of the 2011 Direct Works Forum Apprentice of the Year.
His apprenticeship came to an end in August and he is now on a temporary contract working for KHT as a full-time gas engineer, which he hopes will lead to a permanent job.
Russell Thompson, Executive Director of Maintenance Services at KHT, said: “Dave has a fantastic attitude and ambition and is always pushing himself to be the best he can be.
“He is a great example of a successful apprenticeship and really deserves this recognition.”
Comments