A Bury St Edmunds-based plumbing apprentice has picked up his second award of the year, scooping the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) Award.
Scott Bilham was given the award at a prize-giving ceremony held at West Suffolk College in Bury, where he is a student. The award recognises the student who has shown the most progress in relation to achieving the necessary skills for the plumbing industry.
Scott is employed as an apprentice by Essex-based renewable energy specialist Blueflame and has already enjoyed success within the awards realm this year when he won Apprentice of the Year at the Essex Countryside Business Awards two months ago.
The successful young apprentice was given his latest award by Martin Wharnsby, chairman of the Suffolk branch of CIPHE.
Martin told the Bury Free Press: “Scott has demonstrated an excellent attitude and work ethic. He always goes the extra step above and beyond to achieve.
“He has completed the NVQ Level 3 Plumbing apprenticeship with his employer Blueflame and is going to join the Gas Safe Register, which is an excellent achievement for such a young apprentice,” he added.
Scott did not have an easy road to becoming an apprentice. He spent eight months delivering his CV to companies and writing cover letters in a bid to achieve his goal. He was then offered an apprenticeship with a firm on the condition that he passed his driving test, so he took on two jobs in order to pay for lessons. He passed his driving test within 13 weeks and was able to take up the hard-earned apprenticeship.
Blueflame director John Richards told the newspaper: “To win one award would be good enough for most of us, but to win two in one year says quite a lot about this young man. He is always willing to help and is totally committed to getting every aspect of his work right. He doesn’t shirk responsibility and likes to be involved in challenging areas so he can stretch himself. He’s everything you’d want in an engineer.”