16 July 2014

Costain’s Richard Hill has won Tunnelling Apprentice of the Year at this year’s CITB National Construction College (NCC) South & London Apprenticeship Awards.

Richard, 21, began his apprenticeship when he joined Costain two years ago. Since then he has combined work on Costain’s National Grid London Power Tunnels project with study at the CITB Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) in Ilford. He is now about to complete his Intermediate Apprenticeship and gain his NVQ Level 2 in Tunnelling.

Every year the NCC awards recognise the apprentices who have made an outstanding contribution to their studies and have demonstrated a real commitment to a career in construction. Richard was nominated for his award by his TUCA tutors, who were impressed by his hard work, commitment and ability to work as part of a team. He was presented with a trophy and £100 of vouchers by former RAF pilot and broadcaster John Nichol at the award ceremony at the NCC South in London.

Said Richard: “Tunnelling has always been something I’ve been keen to do. I grew up in Kent and knew several people involved in the Channel Tunnel project, so I knew it would be an interesting job.

“I was very pleased to win the award. My apprenticeship is brilliant – it’s teaching me the key skills needed for tunnelling and I learn something new every day. I’m now hoping to go on to my Higher Apprenticeship to help me progress to a supervisory role.”

Two other Costain apprentices were also nominated for the award: Shingai Mousza and Ben Brown, who are also on track to complete their NVQ Level 2 qualification.

The awards are well-deserved recognition for the apprentices, said Caroline Towner, Costain’s Apprenticeship Manager. “Tunnelling is a tough environment to work in, and our apprentices are not only highly skilled but also have to shoulder a lot of responsibility early on in their careers.

She added: “These awards also recognise Costain’s commitment to apprenticeships. We should be proud of how we as a company are helping to develop people and develop skills.”

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