We’ve been praised for our efforts to train the next generation of vehicle engineers. At present, eight apprentices are helping to keep our buses on the roads in and around Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and three of them have been recognised as a part of a prestigious awards scheme.

During National Apprenticeship Week (March 3 – 7), Steve Davy, trentbarton’s Group Chief Engineer, explained: “As part of the three-year programme our apprentices attend a specialist training course at City College Coventry. “Three of them, Harry Burns, Scott Hutchinson and Alex Wright, reached the finals of the City of Coventry Freeman’s Awards and were presented with certificates to recognise their achievements, which we are all very proud of.

trentbarton’s strong showing in the competition reflects our ongoing commitment to training and development. “With modern vehicles changing at such a fast pace it’s important that we keep up to speed with the latest technology. Investing in new apprentices each year helps us to achieve this,” Steve said.

We take on around three apprentices every year and help them to develop their engineering skills with practical work on our fleet of buses, alongside their college work. We also promote their achievements through our really good service awards programme with 20-year-old Billy Hull the current holder of the trentbarton Apprentice of the Year title.

The 2014 winner will be announced at the next awards ceremony and dinner this May at the I-PRO Stadium at Pride Park in Derby. Cynthia Jacox, Apprenticeship Development Manager at City College Coventry, commented: "We are extremely proud of the apprentices nominated by their companies for the City of Coventry Freeman’s Guild Awards. “Not only does this show the dedication and enthusiasm of the young people involved, it also highlights the commitment of companies like trentbarton to support apprenticeships and to raise engineering standards to help fill the skills shortage we are seeing in this country."