A Chatteris firm has awarded its annual apprentice of the year honour to a third-year student at the engineering company.

Richard Bullock won the accolade beating off stiff competition from the nineteen apprentices currently at the company.

The Metalcraft award recognises talent that has stood out during the year such as commitment to learning, personal development, outstanding achievement and strong performance in the workplace.

Richard joined Metalcraft as an apprentice, 16, in September 2015 from Cromwell Community College.

He is now in his third year of a five-year apprenticeship programme and is working towards gaining a Level 3 advanced certificate at the College of West Anglia.

Neil Kirby, apprentice trainer at Metalcraft, said: “Richard deserves this award for the tremendous progress he has achieved over the last twelve months in his chosen field of expertise as an aluminium welder and fabricator.

“He is now starting to reach his full potential and is demonstrating the specialist skills needed to succeed.

“Richard is a valued member of his team and feedback from his mentor and supervisor show he is a focused and dedicated employee.”

Richard said: “Getting an apprenticeship has given me new skills and opportunities after leaving school. Metalcraft is a great place to learn and work, and the on-site training facilities have helped me develop those skills.

“The staff are always happy to help and build your confidence.

“Getting this award was a great surprise and nice to get the recognition from the people I work for.”

Metalcraft has received many awards for its investment in apprenticeships and has been named Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for the last two years.

It currently has 19 apprentices of which 17 are studying for their level 2 and 3 qualifications.

The company has seven new apprentices joining in September which will see Metalcraft break through the 500th apprenticeship milestone in its 151-year history.

Martin Lawrence, commercial director at Metalcraft, said: “Apprenticeships are a great route into a career and give apprentices nationally recognised qualifications while they earn and learn on the job.

Richard was presented with the award which was sponsored by ESAB, the welding and cutting manufacturer.