Spittal Quarry apprentice wins major accolade
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A worker with Caithness company A&D Sutherland Ltd won a special apprentice of the year award at a glitzy event in the Hilton, Glasgow.
Andrew Manson had previously been runner-up for Apprentice Plant Mechanic (APM) of the Year in the Construction Plant Hire Association Awards in 2022 but this year he won the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) top APM award.
Andrew, who attended the event at the Glasgow Hilton with his wife Jess, said afterwards: “I was both surprised and honoured to be nominated, then absolutely delighted to have won. It was a lovely evening and Jess and I were so well taken care of. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly.”
Andrew has been employed with A&D Sutherland Ltd at Spittal Quarry since 2017 and originally started work there as a general labourer. He showed a keen interest in plant mechanics and approached the managing director, Mark Mancini, to ask about the prospect of starting a plant mechanic apprenticeship. Mark got in touch with the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), and Andrew commenced his apprenticeship in July 2021 excelling in both his practical work, and his college work in Glasgow.
Mark is full of praise for the 25-year-old and said: “Andrew started as a labourer, then he showed an aptitude as a mechanic so we decided to put him through this apprenticeship. It is the best decision we could have made – there are always glowing reports about him, and I believe that the apprenticeship has been a good experience for the company as well as for Andrew.”
The award was sponsored by the CITB and JCB and the event was held on February 3. In recognition of his achievement, JCB invited Andrew on an all-expenses paid two-day trip to its world headquarters in Staffordshire to learn about the history of JCB and see how the iconic JCB Backhoe is built.
