Wythenshawe Mechanic Named Apprentice of the Year
Stagecoach Manchester apprentice gains national recognition for his endeavours
Success: Jack Abbott receiving the Apprentice of the Year award for 2012. Photograph courtesy of Tangerine PR, 2012
There is more to keeping our buses to time than adhering to the timetables and hoping the traffic works in our favour. Most of the grunt work to running a successful bus operation in done behind the scenes. It involves keeping our vehicles clean and its engines well maintained.
This philosophy isn’t lost on Jack Abbott, a trainee mechanic from Wythenshawe. He has been named Apprentice of the Year for the second time running by Stagecoach.
Jack, 18, who is based at Stagecoach Manchester’s Sharston depot fought off stiff competition from 36 other Stagecoach apprentices. His attention to detail and tenacity impressed the judges.
He was first awarded the title of ‘Apprentice of the Year’ in 2010 due to his glowing appraisals and application to his coursework at his training college, S&B Training Academy, Bristol.
As well as being recognised by the national judging panel in the most recent competition, Jack, who is in the second year of his apprenticeship, was also voted ‘Best Apprentice’ by his peers.
Commenting on his award, Jack said: “I am extremely proud to be named ‘Apprentice of the Year’, especially as it’s the second year in a row. All of the apprentices at Stagecoach Manchester work hard and are very talented, so it is a real honour to receive this award.
“I love the fact that my work has a real effect on people’s lives and ensures that buses can run efficiently and go out on time, because I know how much people dislike late running public transport!”
Christopher Bowles, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester, commented: “We are really lucky to have such a talented and hardworking apprentice on our team. Jack sets a great example to his peers and demonstrates how rewarding on-the-job-learning can be.
“Jack is a pleasure to work with and everyone at Stagecoach Manchester is really proud of his achievement.”
Stagecoach is accepting applications for the September 2012 apprentice intake. For more information on apprenticeships and other openings as well as timetables, you could do no worse than visit their website which is www.stagecoachbus.com.
S.V., 14 February 2012.
