Apprentices at Leyland Trucks win top awards

Four apprentices from Leyland Trucks were amongst the winners at the annual Training 2000 Apprentice Awards held at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Accrington on Friday, 9 November.

The awards are organised by Training 2000 of Blackburn – the largest independent training provider in the North West and which has over 2,000 young people and adults currently undergoing vocational training across Lancashire.

Scott Morley, aged 18 and from Feniscowles, Blackburn, won the Best Student Award for the National Certificate in Electrical Engineering. The former student of St Bedes RC High School in Blackburn is a third year apprentice at the Leyland Trucks plant.

Winner of the Best Student Award in the Health and Safety exam was 17-year-old Thomas Barton. He lives in Lostock Hall, Preston and joined Leyland Trucks following study at Lostock Hall High School. Thomas is now in the second year of his Mechatronics apprenticeship.

Second year electrical maintenance apprentice Ian Routledge, 18, lifted the trophy as the Best Electrical Maintenance Apprentice. He studied at Our Lady’s Catholic High School, Fulwood, before joining Leyland Trucks and lives in Fulwood, Preston.

Twenty-four year old Kevin Houghton from Leyland, Preston attended the awards event to receive his HND in Engineering having already completed his apprenticeship as an electrical maintenance apprentice.

All four received their awards from Steve Gray, Chief Executive of Training 2000. He praised them for their achievement, saying: “These young men have shown a commitment to achieving the highest standards in their chosen careers. I wish them well in the completion of their apprenticeships with Leyland Trucks. I would particularly like to commend Kevin Houghton on going on to gain an HND in Engineering and now continuing his studies for his Batchelor of Engineering degree.”

Lyn Butler, HR Development Manager at Leyland Trucks said: “We currently have 18 young people on our apprentice training scheme, which is managed for us by Training 2000. They are all working towards first class qualifications that will be the foundation of a good career for the rest of their working lives. Some will also be able to further advance their careers through participation in other programmes, such as our Trainee Design Engineer and Foundation Degree courses.”

Editor’s note: Leyland Trucks Ltd produces trucks from 7.5 tonnes to 44 tonnes gross weight at its state-of-the-art plant in Leyland. These are sold in the UK and across Europe under the DAF brand, which is both the clear market leader in the UK and the fastest growing truck brand across Europe. Leyland Trucks also designs and assembles trucks for overseas markets including Australia, South Africa, Mexico and the USA, where they are sold under the Peterbilt and Kenworth brands.

Both Leyland Trucks and DAF Trucks are subsidiaries of PACCAR, a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high quality light, medium and heavy duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF badges. It also provides financial related services, information technology and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.