Apprentice of the Year - winner announced

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Dec 6, 2006

Sponsored by Screwfix Direct in conjunction with CITB-Construction Skills, the Award was presented by Sarah Beeny to Sean Facey from Bridgwater in Somerset .

Sean Facey (19) from Bridgwater in Somerset has been named as the 2006 Apprentice of the Year by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Sponsored by Screwfix Direct in conjunction with CITB-Construction Skills, the Award carries a top prize of GBP1,000 and was presented by Sarah Beeny, expert property developer and TV presenter.

Simon O'Mahony, Head of Marketing at Screwfix Direct comments, "We are proud to be associated with the Apprentice of the Year Award".

"As a company that has been supplying the trades for over 25 years, we believe it is important to both develop and keep the next generation of trades people motivated to work within the industry".

"Apprentices were nominated by their employers, customers, tutors and members of the CITB regional teams on the basis that they had shown outstanding ability and offered a high level of skill in their chosen trade".

Sean, who was also named Apprentice of the Year by Bridgwater College in 2004, and won first and second places at the South West Regional SKILLBUILD finals, was nominated by Owen Foord, Modern Apprenticeship Training Officer at CITB-ConstructionSkills.

He said "We see many youngsters, but once in a while, one shines through like a leading light".

"Sean has learnt from first class carpenters in a small family firm with a huge variety of work".

"Trained in the old-style, his work, whether on complex angled roofs, beautiful staircases or oak floors is very impressive.".