SIX candidates have been shortlisted as finalists for the Trades House of Glasgow Modern Apprentice of the Year Award (MAYA) 2014, which celebrates a learning path established by its crafts back in medieval Scotland.
The winner and runners-up of the annual MAYA initiative, sponsored this year by BAE Systems Naval Ships, will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Trades Hall on Tuesday 8 April 2014, attended by employers, finalists and their guests.
Lining up for the prospect of taking this year’s title are Finulla McCloskey, a horticulture MA with Glasgow City Council; James McGhee, a mechanical engineer (cross functional) with Clydeunion Pumps – SPX; and Tammy Rice, a food and beverage assistant with Hilton Glasgow.
Three finalists from BAE Systems Naval Ships – Naval Ships, are Stephen Deigman, a detail design engineer; and fabricator/plater apprentices, Andrew Mimnagh and Paul McKeown.
“MAYA showcases the commitment and capability of candidates who have chosen the apprenticeship route to further their career prospects, while promoting traditional trades alongside more modern skills,” said Hamish Brodie, Deacon Convener of the Trades of Glasgow.
“We would like to thank sponsor partners, BAE Systems, for supporting our awards initiative in 2014.
“We were greatly encouraged by the high calibre of entries, which gave our judges another great challenge this year. Our finalists are also a testament to the exceptional apprenticeship schemes operated by each of their employers.”
It was the 14 historic craft guilds, which united to form the Trades House of Glasgow in 1605, which established and maintained the apprenticeship system in the city in medieval times. The organisation continued to regulate apprenticeships for more than 200 years, transforming people into tradesmen and eventually masters of their chosen craft, ensuring high-cuality workmanship and customer service. When the Trades House set up MAYA in 2006, it reinvigorated its efforts to promote the vocational and personal benefits that apprenticeships provide in training and development today.
The MAYA 2014 winner will be selected from the six finalists and presented with an inscribed trophy, which will remain on display in the Trades Hall in Glassford Street, Glasgow, home to the Trades House of Glasgow since 1794. The winner will also receive an inscribed replica of the trophy, a cash prize of £400 and a certificate. A second prize of £250 and a third of £150 will also be awarded, along with a Certificate of Commendation for all finalists.
MAYA 2014 was open to people employed in the Greater Glasgow area who are either working towards a Scottish MA, or were certificated no earlier than May 2013. The winner will be the candidate the judging panel feels has epitomised the overall ideals of the MA programme, covering capability, contribution, commitment, overcoming difficulties, marketing and transferability, as well as the overall quality of the application.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
More about the Trades House of Glasgow and MAYA – www.tradeshouse.org.uk
Since it was constituted in 1605 as the Council of 14 Craft Guilds, the Trades House of Glasgow and its Incorporated Crafts have made their mark by playing a pivotal and progressive role in training and fostering trade and industry in Glasgow, through a wide variety of initiatives. Benevolence has also been at its very foundation. Now a registered charity widely viewed as a centre of excellence in the administration of trusts and legacies, the Trades House manages funds in excess of £18 million. Donations of more than £600,000 are awarded each year to deserving causes and individuals across Glasgow, with considerable resources also devoted to general benevolent work.
When it started its Modern Apprentice of the Year Award in 2006, the Trades House returned to its historic roots. The award aims to encourage the young, and not so young, to become proficient in their chosen vocation, taking up and continuing the traditional trades, many of which are represented by the Trades House’s 14 Craft Incorporations established centuries ago.
Winners and runners-up in the last few years have included a joiner, who would be a Wright in Trades House terms, a night manager in a hotel, who would be a Maltman, and a landscape gardener who could immediately join the Gardeners. Although not directly linked to the historic 14 Trades, there are many modern skills equally vital and so also supported by the MA system. Apprentices in professions such as pharmacy and administration have also featured amongst the award winners.
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