A gifted female apprentice mechanic from Yatton in North Somerset has won two prestigious awards in the last two months having been nominated for them by her employer, bus operator First West of England.
Tina Haden-Williams, 25, was named ‘Advanced Apprentice of the Year’ in the Passenger Transport category at the People 1st Apprenticeship Awards held at the House of Commons in February and also picked up the prize for Female Apprentice of the Year at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards 2015, held in Bristol in March.
In taking the title of Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the People 1st Apprenticeship Awards she beat off competition from Daniel Gardner, an Electrical Apprentice with Arriva The Shires’ Aylesbury depot. While in the Women in Business Awards she was named the winner beating an apprentice hairdresser and an apprentice business administrator from Bristol to the title.
Bosses at First West of England expect this recent success could just be the start of a winning streak as the talented apprentice is also nominated for two further awards: ‘Outstanding Apprentice of the Year’ at the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Apprentice Awards – due to be held in Bristol on Wednesday 20 May, and the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards, due to be held in London on June 3.
Talking about her recent successes, James Freeman, managing director of First West of England, says, “Tina is a real asset to our team, and we’re thrilled that all her hard work has been recognised on a national stage like this. She thoroughly deserves all the praise and accolades that she’s been given. She is one of a number of apprentices that we employ, all of whom show great promise for the future. Success at awards like this underlines the excellent work going on around our business within both the engineering and training departments.”
Tina Haden-Williams, says, "I'm thrilled to have won these awards. I just do my job, but if by doing that to the best of my ability I can encourage others, and particularly other women, to pursue a career in engineering, or take on an apprenticeship, then that's a bonus. I love what I do: I have always been quite a practical, hands on person, with a fascination for how things work and a particular interest in the motor industry. An apprenticeship seemed like the perfect choice for me because you partly learn at college but you also do a lot of practical learning whilst on the job. Another bonus of the apprenticeship is that not only am I being paid to learn, but I am learning something I love.”
The third annual People 1st Apprentice Awards were held in London at the House of Commons on Feb. 26. The awards recognised apprentices, employers, mentors and partnerships from the hospitality, passenger transport, retail and travel industries. The Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle Women in Business Awards were held at the Bristol Marriott City Centre Hotel on March 19.
