National glory for Derwent's young trainees

A team of apprentices from Derwent Training Association have reached the Brathay Apprentice Challenge final.

The team – made up of members from York, Malton and Kirkbymoorside – will be joined in the final by teams from JCB, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Nottingham City Homes, Redrow Homes, Severn Trent Water and WSP.

The finalists of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge were announced at the House of Commons by Godfrey Owen, Chief Executive of organisers Brathay Trust.

The Derwent Training Association group is the smallest team to make the finals as well as being the only training provider.

As part of the challenge, the team organised a community project, designing a cricket practice net for Westow cricket team for their junior coaching sessions.

The team also visited schools and youth groups to talk about the benefits of apprenticeships, and hosted four business events to talk to potential employers about offering apprenticeships.

Mr Owen said: “All of the teams that have taken part worked really hard and the quality of the portfolios increases year on year.

“We look forward to the national finals and welcoming the teams to Brathay.”