Bus engineering apprentices recognised at Stagecoach’s 11th annual Apprentice of the Year Awards

• Recognition for outstanding UK Bus apprentices

PERTH, Scotland, 2015-10-28 — /Travel PR News/ — Stagecoach’s top UK Bus apprentices have been recognised at the company’s 11th annual Apprentice of the Year Awards.

Nine bus engineering apprentices were awarded for their outstanding performance at a ceremony at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in Manchester. The winners received cash prizes and individual trophies and tools supplied by event sponsors ADL, Optare, the Society of Operations Engineers, Roadcrew and IQ Supplies.

Sam Harris from Stagecoach Yorkshire was awarded first place in the third year apprentice category, sponsored by Optare. Sam also received the top award last year when he was in Year 2 and the previous year when he was in Year 1. Ben Houghton from Stagecoach London took second place and Alex Booth from Stagecoach Manchester, was awarded third place.

Alexander Dennis Ltd sponsored the year two awards with Stagecoach South West apprentice Ben Dawson receiving the first place award. Lorne Coughlan from Stagecoach South East and Sion Summers from Stagecoach East were awarded second and third places respectively.

Winner of the year one category, sponsored by The Society of Operations Engineers, was Adam Ebdon-Parry from Stagecoach Manchester, with Matthew Sanderson from Stagecoach Yorkshire in second place and Shane Rees from Stagecoach South Wales in third.

34 tool prizes provided by QA Supplies and Roadcrew were awarded for outstanding achievements in categories including depot vote, peer vote, end of block test results.

Clare Willis, Stagecoach UK Bus Deputy Training and Development Manager (Engineering) said: “Our winners this year have all set an exceptionally high standard over the past 12 months and they thoroughly deserve their awards.

“The Stagecoach apprentice scheme is widely recognised as one of the most comprehensive in the bus industry and it is vital to the future success of our business. We are delighted to have such skilled people within our ranks which is great news, not only for the future of our business, but also for the millions of passengers who travel on our buses day in, day out.”

Stagecoach currently employs 187 apprentices across its UK Bus operations.

The company runs a four-year programme in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or body work engineering. On successful completion of year three, the apprentice receives a Modern Apprenticeship (Scotland) or an Advanced Apprenticeship (England and Wales) in Bus and Coach Engineering Maintenance, which is graded as a S/NVQ level 3. On successful completion of the fourth year of the programme, the apprentice is accredited as a member of the Institute of Motoring Industry. Stagecoach is the only bus operator to offer this IMI certification.

For further information on Stagecoach UK Bus visit www.stagecoachbus.com

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:  Stagecoach Group Communications on 01738 442111 or email: media@stagecoachgroup.com

Notes to Editors:

Stagecoach Group

• Stagecoach Group is an international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, mainland Europe, the United States and Canada. Stagecoach carries around 3 million passengers a day across its transport businesses. The Group employs around 39,000 people, and operates around 13,000 buses, coaches, trains and trams.
• Stagecoach is one of the UK’s biggest bus and coach operators with around 8,500 buses and coaches. The Group’s business includes major city bus operations in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge. Low-cost coach service, megabus.com, operates a network of inter-city services across the UK and continental Europe.
• Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has also partnered with Virgin to run the East Coast and West Coast inter-city rail franchises.
• Stagecoach operates the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield.
• In North America, Stagecoach operates around 2,400 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. megabus.com links around 130 key locations in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter, transit, contracted, charter, airport shuttle and sightseeing services.

SOURCE: Stagecoach Group plc.

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