Engineering apprentice who saved employer £20k a year up for award

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An apprentice’s hard work has been recognised with a nomination for a prestigious award.

William Davies, who works for Kautex Textron CVS Ltd in Hengoed, which specialises in ‘clear vision systems’ for the automotive industry, has been shortlisted for an award in the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021.

William, 20, from Llwydcoed, Aberdare, has made a significant contribution to the multi-national business, having saved his employer £20,000 a year by automating a product assembly system.

His other achievements to date include commissioning a new Rapid Prototyping 3D printer to assist in autonomous vehicle systems development, implementing Health and Safety and productivity improvements and managing a project to renovate and ensure a canteen is Covid-secure.

Now William is in the running to win the Apprentice of the Year award at the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021. The winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on April 29.

This annual celebration of outstanding achievement in training and apprenticeships will see 35 finalists compete in 12 categories for awards.

The awards showcase businesses and individuals who have excelled on the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programmes and gone the extra mile.

The awards are jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW). Openreach, the UK’s digital network business and passionate supporter of apprenticeships, has renewed its headline sponsorship of the awards.

The Apprenticeship Programme in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

Steve Mills, the company’s continuous improvement and technical manager, describes William as one of the “stand-out characters” he has met during 25 years of management. He praised William’s all-round ability, saying he is already working to the level of a graduate manufacturing engineer.

“Despite a particularly difficult year with working restrictions, distance learning and modified applications, William remains on course to exceed our expectations once again,” he added.