Amey has welcomed HRH The Earl of Wessex to its offices in Swindon as it celebrated 15 years in partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).
The event also marked the occasion of their commitment to 500 apprentices embarking on their DofE journey, since Amey started running the Gold DofE Award for their apprentices in 2010.
The event at Amey’s office in Station Square, Swindon, was hosted by Nicola Hindle, Amey’s Managing Director for Consulting and Rail, and attended by key business figures and dignitaries from the region, including Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mrs. Troughton.
Amey has supported the DofE since 2002 and is proud to have supported young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout that time, improving their chances of employment and breaking the cycle of deprivation. Over these years, 500 Amey apprentices have been put on a journey to success as they have embarked 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.
One of the young apprentices Amey has supported through their DofE is Jacob Demuth, an electrification and plant trainee engineer.
At the event, Jacob said his DofE helped him become more confident, and he said he did not think he would have come as far as he has in his career without it.
“Through the DofE, I realised you may have a plan that you intend to stick to, but it might go wrong, so you need to find a better way. Going wrong is not necessarily bad – you just have to have the level headedness to step back and look at it calmly. There is usually another way to solve it,” he said.
Through doing his DofE award, Jacob said he had become a better problem solver, and more pragmatic. He said in a tough situation, he could now see everyone’s point of view of the situation.
Nicola Hindle, Amey’s Managing Director for Consulting and Rail, said: “We’re proud to be celebrating a 15-year partnership with the DofE, and of the 500 Amey apprentices who have started their DofE. The DofE enables young people to step outside of their comfort zones and develop skills that can be life changing. It is through this partnership that we are helping young people from all backgrounds gain the skills and experience that many employers look for, which in turn can help deliver real societal change.”
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, recognising the value of achieving a DofE Award. 500 Amey apprentices have embarked on their Gold Award journey with Amey, since the Company became a DofE Licenced Organisation seven years ago. They 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.”