Bovington Apprentices Graduate

08/05/2008

The first apprentices to graduate from the Defence Support Group's (DSG) Bovington site for more than a decade received their Deeds at a ceremony hosted by The RNLI Lifeboat College in Poole recently.

It is more than ten years since the last apprenticeship scheme at DSG Bovington and there was cause for double celebration when a third generation apprentice from Bovington picked up the award for Apprentice of the Year. Mark Davis from Bovington joined DSG in 2000 at the age of 16 and began working as a storekeeper before moving on to the main shopfloor as a craft auxiliary. He began his apprenticeship in 2004, the year in which DSG re-instated the apprenticeship scheme.

Mark's father Ken received his apprentice training at Bovington and currently works as a Team Leader at Lulworth. And the family tradition goes back even further with Mark's grandfather, Roy Davis who also worked at Lulworth as well as at Bovington until his retiral in 2005. A total of nine apprentices graduated at the evening awards ceremony where DSG's Chief Operating Officer, John Reilly praised the hard work of the apprentices in achieving their Deeds. He also congratulated the DSG training team and partnership-training provider, Paragon, for their commitment to the apprenticeship scheme, which is now firmly back in place at Bovington.
Apprentices graduating at the event were :-

Mark Davis (Bovington) - Apprentice of the Year
Daniel Bennett (Wareham) Shaun Gardner (Poole)
Daniel Hurlstone (Dorchester) Dean Kinson (Weymouth)
Michael Russell (Weymouth) Stuart Richardson (Stratton)
Scott Smart (Ferndown) Dean Toft (Wareham)

Representing the Unite Trade Union was regional officer, Colin Rose who presented the Union's special award for most improved apprentice to Jamie Huet from Bovington who is in the second year of his apprenticeship. Other award winners during the night were first year apprentices Peter Waite (Poole) and Ryan Gibson (Bovington), second year students Dan O'Donovan (Portland), Jeffrey Warr (Blandford) and Keith Avant (Weymouth) and third year graduating apprentices Mark Davis (Bovington) and Daniel Bennett (Wareham).

Speaking today DSG's Chief Executive, Archie Hughes praised the graduates, their families and all those involved in marking this important occasion. He said; "The DSG Apprenticeship scheme is an integral part of our business. It is from this pool of talent that the future leaders of our business will emerge and we place great store in the training and experience delivered both in the classroom and on the shopfloor."

ENDS

Notes to Editors
1. DSG launched on 1 April 2008 and brought together the ABRO and DARA businesses into a single new defence Trading Fund. DSG's primary focus will be in providing expert in-house maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for the through life support of the key land and air based platforms and equipment for the UK Armed Forces.

2. It draws together many unique capabilities that have been developed over several decades for the direct benefit of troops and their equipment at both home and abroad. The combined businesses will turnover in excess of £270m, with a workforce of around 3500 strategically located throughout the UK.

3. DSG's Head Office is located in Andover and provides strategic direction to the main sites in Bovington, Catterick, Colchester, Donnington, Sealand, St Athan, Stafford, Stirling and Warminster. Smaller support sites located in Aldershot, Bicester, Edinburgh, Kinnegar, Sennybridge and York further enhances DSG's geographic coverage. Small support teams are also permanently embedded in other UK military sites.

4. Pictures attached show DSG Bovington Apprentice of the Year Mark Davis receiving his award from John Reilly, DSG's Chief Operating Officer and a group shot of the DSG Bovington graduating apprentices following receipt of their Deeds.

5. For further information about DSG, contact the Press Office on :-

Tel: 01264 385799 during normal office hours
Out of hours - call 07710 789853
Issued: 08 May 2008
Reference: 02/08