Shaun Donaldson, who works out of the Aston headquarters of the 130-year-old company, was named Mechanical Engineering Services Apprentice of the Year for the Midlands by JTL, a leading training provider for the building services industry, on the completion of his training.

One of more than 1,500 apprentices in their final year of training with JTL, Shaun received a trophy and a cheque for £100 at the Jury’s Inn Hotel at Hinckley – and is now in the running for the title of JTL Apprentice of the Year at a national awards ceremony to be held in London in October.

Having completed his NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing and Heating with the provider, Shaun is currently working in J S Wright’s prefabrication department, producing fully loaded heat interface unit backboards and other modular units for multi-million-pound apartment schemes.

Shaun was assessed against four key elements that make up the apprenticeship framework: practical work on site, theoretical knowledge, key skills and industrial test scores.

Paul Walton, JTL Plumbing and Heating Training Officer, said: “Shaun is an extremely committed, conscientious and polite student – and from my first session with him he instantly showed maturity beyond his years. Due to his fantastic interpersonal skills, he’s someone his classmates often go to for help and advice. This has made him very popular amongst his peers and helped him to achieve his Level 2 NVQ.”

Paul Millington, JS Wright Associate Director and Leader of the JS Wright Apprentice Academy, said: “This is an excellent achievement and thoroughly well deserved. Shaun’s empathy, helpfulness and ability to confidently complete projects on time and to a high standard have been indispensable to the business.”

Shaun commented: “I’m thrilled to have won this award and I would like to thank JS Wright and my JTL Training Officer for all their support. I couldn’t be more excited about taking the next step to the national awards.