The Apprentice of the Year Awards 2009 took place on Tuesday 19 May at The Hilton Hotel, Belfast. Employers and Training Organisations from all over Northern Ireland were asked to nominate Apprentices who they felt had shown commitment, occupational progress and enthusiasm in their chosen Apprenticeship. A Partnership Award that acknowledged the excellence in relationships and support between the Training Organisation and Employer in the delivery of apprenticeship training was also presented.
The awards ceremony was attended by various organisations involved in the delivery of the Department's flagship ApprenticeshipsNI programme, including representatives from Training Organisations, Employers and Sector Skills Councils from across the province and, of course, the shortlisted finalists along with their families and friends.
The ceremony was also attended by Sir Reg Empey, Minister for Employment and Learning and the event was hosted by Stephen Nolan.
A profile of each of the finalists is available in the table below:-
Click on the links below to check out the videos of each finalist. The narrative (text) versions are also available by clicking on the relvant link in the narrative column
Narrative |
Company |
Occupation |
Finalists |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafal Cherezniak | Rafal Cherezniak | Malone House | Catering Manager | Winner |
| Martin Davey | Martin Davey | Chilltec Refridgeration Ltd | Refridgeration | Finalist |
| Patrick Fitzpatrick | Patrick Fitzpatrick | The Works, Castlewellan | Hairdressing | Finalist |
| Lucy King | Lucy King | Moy Park, Craigavon | Food Manufacturing | Finalist |
| Padraig Rogers | Padraig Rogers | Patrick O'Hagan, Newry | Plumbing | Finalist |
Other awards presented at the ceremony included:-
| Company | Occupation | Finalist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrice Cunningham | Green Park Nursing Home, Armagh | Health & Social Care | Winner |
| James Hamilton | Alied Bakeries | Engineering Maintenance | Finalist |
| Ross Johnston | Diageo | Plant & Maintenance Engineering | Finalist |
| Company | Finalist | |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Armstrong | NFU Mutual, Downpatrick | Winner |
| James Orr | Mark Rooney, Downpatrick | Finalist |
| Gary McIlhennon | Avenance, Belfast | Finalist |
| Shortlisted | |
|---|---|
| Schrader Electrics Ltd and Northern Regional College | Winner |
| Donnelly Bros and Southern Regional College | Shortlisted |
| Leonard Cheshire Disability and Southern Regional College | Shortlisted |
Education, learning and skills
