A Metro apprentice has been nominated for a prestigious national award for his dedication to training.
Phil Chisholm, an electrician who works at the Metro Train Depot in South Gosforth in Newcastle, has been shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year at the GoSkills Go For Excellence awards at Wembley Stadium in London.
Phil has beaten off strong competition from hundreds of hopefuls to be included on a final shortlist of three. He will travel down to a ceremony on 3 December to find out who has won.
Phil, 20, of Fulwell in Sunderland, said: “I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be great to go down there and see the new Wembley and attend the awards ceremony. My parents and my girlfriend will be going down with me as my guests.
“It came as a surprise when I found out that I was on the shortlist. I knew I had been entered but I only got the letter when I got back from holiday.
“At first I thought that I’d not made it because it was such a long letter, but when I read down the page I saw that I’d been successful. It’s great news.”
After four years of hard work Phil has just come to the end of his apprenticeship and is now a time served electrician.
His bosses put him forward for the award for his outstanding effort and commitment during his years of training. Phil won Metro’s own Apprentice of the Year Award two years in a row.
Metro Trainer/Assessor, Michael Burton, said: “Phil is a great example of the standard of tradesman the Metro apprenticeship schemes produce.
“He has always led by example and has been willing to assist other apprentices as he went through his own training.
“Phil is a highly motivated and capable individual. He is an asset to our organisation and a real credit to himself.”
GoSkills is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for passenger transport. Licensed by Government, its mission is to work with employers UK-wide to improve the skills that make a difference to the performance of the passenger transport sector.