Engineering apprentices show their metal

. Advanced Apprentice of the Year was 23 year old electrical engineering apprentice Gareth Moor from Morpeth in Northumberland. Employer, Chris Burt, director of Dougal and Railton, says: “Gareth has shown tremendous promise whilst working with us. He has been involved in major projects for the company, where he has had important roles of responsibility, and truly demonstrated the benefits of training on the job. He is a valuable asset to our team and has really benefited from his Apprenticeship.” Personal Achiever of the Year was 19 year old Zenel Lika from Warwickshire who fled from Kosovo when he was 14, arriving in England unable to speak English and with no formal qualifications. By the end of Year 11, he had passed his GCSE maths, science, english and art and after leaving school, his academic results enabled him to progress to an Advanced Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. Last year, Zenel won the Workforce Development Learner of the Year for North Warwickshire & Hinckley College. He said of his win: "I can't describe how it feels to win. I am so proud, it means such a lot to me. It's all down to the encouragement I've had from my foster parents and my company." Apprentice of the year was Jonathon Pearson, 22, who works at Lancashire based Schwan’s Consumer Brands. Abbigail Kewin, 15, from Tyne and Wear, was Young Apprentice of the Year and is set on a career in advertising. Large employer of the Year was BT. Medium Employer of the Year (50 to 249 employees) was Slack & Parr in Kegworth, Small Employer of the Year was Farthings Veterinary Group in Horsham and Micro Employer of the Year (1 to 9 employees) was Blue Flame Engineering in Stockport. The Awards Ceremony was held in London on June 20th 2007. For more information: www.lsc.gov.uk