An Ainscough Crane Hire apprentice has been given a top honour at a national trade association awards ceremony in the Midlands.
Kye Connop, who works at Ainscough's Birmingham depot, was rewarded with special recognition in the Employer Nominated Plant Mechanic Awards category at the prestigious 'Stars of The Future' ceremony. The event, organised by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), celebrates the very best plant mechanic, construction plant operators and lifting technician apprentices up and down the country.
The 25 year old is in to his third year of the four year apprenticeship which is delivered in partnership with Myerscough College in Preston.
The award winners were assessed by a select committee of judges throughout the academic year on their work in college and in their work environment.
Speaking after receiving the award, Kye said: "It is a great honour to be specially recognised by the industry. Thank you to the team at Ainscough Crane Hire and Myerscough College who have helped give me the experience I need.
"This apprenticeship has been brilliant, allowing me to learn in a hands-on environment while still earning as I study. I would certainly recommend an apprenticeship to anyone looking to develop a career in the industry."
Graham Weights, who works as a service support manager for Ainscough Crane Hire and is part of the team that oversees the new intake of apprentices, added: "This is testament to Kye's hunger and desire. We are extremely proud of what he has achieved. He is an extremely driven individual who has excelled so far in his apprenticeship.
"We are always on the lookout for new talent to join the likes of Kye who will go on to be outstanding members of our industry-leading engineering team."
Ainscough's apprenticeship scheme, delivered in partnership with Myerscough College in Preston and the Construction Training Board (CITB), has trained over 30 apprentices in the last decade.
Apprentices are trained over a three-year period, achieving Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in Plant Maintenance, delivered in training blocks which are based at the college's £4.4 million Engineering Centre, home to its Construction Plant Academy. Ainscough has a mobile crane permanently at the college to enhance the apprentices' learning experience.
All practical training is backed by an NVQ from Myerscough College.
To learn more about Ainscough Cranes' apprenticeship scheme, including how to become one of its latest recruits, visit www.ainscough.co.uk/jobs/apprenticeship-scheme.
Photograph: Kye Connop & Lee Vaughn -Maintenance Supervisor, Birmingham Depot.
Ainscough Crane Hire's Leeds depot recently answered an emergency call to fix a canal Wykewell lift bridge in Thorne.
The bridge, located at Thorne on the Stainforth & Keadby canal had failed to operate, meaning traffic was not able to cross, and Ainscough was contacted by the Canal and River Trust via their contractor, which undertakes the national contract for the Trust's Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation (MEICA) Framework .
The site of the faulty bridge was attended by the manager of Ainscough's Leeds depot, Damian Napper. Upon arrival, Damian undertook a survey and measured up the crane requirements and completed the lift plans and drawings on site, ensuring the required machinery could be dispatched as soon as possible.
Damian then rerouted a 75t crane from a nearby project which had completed ahead of schedule, and successfully applied to the local authorities for an emergency route to enable the crane to arrive at the canal.
Commenting on the work that took place, Damian said: "Once the crane arrived, my colleague Steve Crooks was directed on to the site and the crane was rigged into place. This presented some challenges, as we had to manoeuvre around the overhead BT cables with only inches to spare.
"Once we had successfully achieved this, we were able to provide man basket access to the engineers who undertook the repairing of the bridge. We were able to initially lower the bridge to enable traffic to cross, before returning several times over the next few days in order to further assist the engineers with the full repair.
"This was a complex operation that required absolute precision, and we were very pleased to successfully assist the Canal and River Trust with the repairing of the bridge in an expedient manner."
Ainscough Crane Hire is looking for the next generation of team members after launching its 2019 apprenticeship programme.
A key route through the business, helping us find and develop the best talent for our future and prosperity of the organisation. Of its current list of crane mechanics and engineers, 40% of them came through the Ainscough Apprentice Scheme. With first-class training delivered through Myerscough College in Preston, the apprentice route is always over-subscribed and very popular with the successful candidates.
This year there are seven Apprentice Crane Mechanic placements available at a range of sites across the country.
The full list of apprenticeship placements is:
Depot/Department
Bristol- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
Falkirk- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
Maidstone- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
Stockton- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
West London- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
East London- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
Aberdeen- Apprentice Crane Mechanic
Apply here. If you require any further information or wish to discuss the above vacancies in more detail, then contact the recruitment team recruitment@ainscough.co.uk.
Applications close on 31st July 2019.
July | 2019 | Ainscough Group