Amey apprentices from across the country have received their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), something they have achieved while completing their Amey apprenticeships, at a royal event at St. James’s Palace.
The Gold Award recipients – 35 in total - attended the palace with their family and friends on Thursday 14th December in an event hosted by HRH The Earl of Wessex. The achievers were joined by Amey CEO Andy Milner when they were presented with their Gold Award by Dragon’s Den investor, Deborah Meaden, on behalf of HRH The Earl of Wessex.
Amey has supported the DofE since 2002 and is proud to have supported young people throughout that time, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds improving their chances of employment and breaking the cycle of deprivation. Over these years, up to 500 Amey apprentices have been put on a journey to success as they haveembarked or are about to embark on their DofE journey.
A Gold DofE programme is a voluntary scheme of various activities designed to support young people in their social and personal development. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is widely recognised as the world’s leading youth achievement award, transforming the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life.
Holly Welch, an Amey apprentice who is undertaking a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Construction and Building Services Management, who was presented with her Gold Award on Thursday, said: “My Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme gave me the opportunity to improve on the skills I had, helping me to identify strengths and areas of improvement whilst meeting new people. The memories of my experience will last a lifetime and this is by far my biggest achievement yet. The Apprenticeship Programme at Amey enables me to progress my Engineering career whilst giving me the opportunity to further my education.”
Andy Milner, CEO at Amey, said “Together with the DofE, we’re supporting communities by providing young people from all backgrounds with the skills and experience that many employers look for, which in turn can help deliver real societal change. Through our long-standing partnership, we’re helping to create a pipeline of talent and reduce the growing skills gap by developing our apprentices and increasing the employability prospects of young people locally. Through the DofE, young people step outside of their comfort zones and develop skills that can be life changing.”
Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award said: “As a partner of the DofE Charity for fifteen years, Amey has long supported the development of young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, recognising the value of achieving a DofE Award. The 500 Amey apprentices who have embarked on their Gold Award journey with Amey over the last seven years, since Amey became a DofE Licenced Organisation, have experienced the huge sense of achievement and enjoyment young people get out of doing the DofE; all whilst building their confidence, developing new soft skills, broadening their horizons and discovering their talents. These young people are the leaders of the future and we are thrilled to be working in partnership with Amey to ensure that even more young people, irrespective of background are given this life-changing opportunity.”