By: Ria Marshall On: September 16, 2021 In: Blog Comments: 0

Luke Thornton of GGR Group won the National Plant Technician of the year Award at the CPA stars of the future Award 2021.

The recent announcement by The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has been welcome news to market-leading lifting solutions provider GGR Group as one of their apprentices, Luke Thornton won Plant Technician of the Year (level 3).

Although the construction sector faced its challenges since the start of the pandemic, GGR Group have still been dedicated training providers to their apprentices and have supported them in their development.

Held every year, and attended by over 220 people, the CPA Stars of the Future Award 2021 is designed to recognise and reward exemplary apprentices and trainees who are committed to learning about their work and possess extra capabilities which help them to be the foundations of their industries.  Assessed on their work by the college or training providers, all Stars of the Future are also nominated as an apprentice or trainee and the achievements that they have made during that time.

With a judging panel of industry representatives from the construction sector and a selection of CPA staff, Luke Thornton had to impress several different people.

Since joining 2 years ago, Luke has excelled in his time at GGR Group with his outstanding time management and prioritising skills and his eagerness to learn. He embodies all the GGR Group values with his dedication to his academic advancement, as well as his focus and willingness to excel in the workplace.

Luke said “initially I started off as a food runner at a local restaurant when I was then offered the job by GGR.  I progressed through my Level 2 and achieved the grade easily, then progressed into my Level 3 BTEC which I completed and received a DD (distinction distinction). Currently, I have completed my college course and will be looking to start a level 4 qualification soon. To now receive level 3 plant technician of the year (regional and national) is a great honour and I am still surprised that I have managed to achieve these awards and go this far in my career at a young age.”

GGR Managing Director, Gill Riley OBE said “We are thrilled about Luke’s recent win, and this is a proud moment for us at GGR. Luke is an integral part of the team and his dedication to his job and academic studies makes him a pleasure to work with. We are excited to see what the future has in store for him with us here at GGR and we are sure that this will be one of the first of many awards.”

Luke explained what the win means for him “I am becoming an asset to the company and I’m able to show off the skills that I have learnt. It also makes me proud of my achievements and shows that I’m progressing in my learning because people are recognising my abilities. It makes me grateful for the help I have received from all the engineers at GGR and my managers who entered me into the award and helped me every step of the way”

Gill Riley added “We provide the right training to our apprentices, and we strive to make sure that all of our apprentices are given every opportunity to learn by getting hands on alongside more senior members of the team. They are given support and time out for their studies, so we are happy that a member of GGR team has been recognised for this dedication.”

For more information on the full range of products and solutions, please visit: https://www.ggrgroup.com

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