OilVoice - Mark Wigginton Wins Apprentice of the Year 2009 Award

Mark Wigginton Wins Apprentice of the Year 2009 Award

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

OPITO - The Oil & Gas Academy today announced the Apprentice of the Year award.

The annual Apprentice of the Year award is in memory of former employee Tom McIntosh, one of the key founders of the Academy’s highly successful Upstream Oil and Gas Technician Training Scheme. The award recognises and acknowledges outstanding ability and attitude during a trainees two year college phase of the four year scheme.

This year’s hotly contested award was made up of finalists from each of the schemes four disciplines:
- Andrew Boothby, Process Operation Technician (nominated by Aberdeen College)
- Michael Lohse, Electrical Maintenance Technician(nominated by Aberdeen College)
- Mark Wigginton, Instrument and Control Technician (nominated by Jewel Esk College)
- Fraser Eldridge, Mechanical Maintenance Technician (nominated by Forth Valley)

The award was judged by Chris Williams (OPITO – The Oil & Gas Academy), Shelia Keddie (Conoco Phillips) and John Harrison (Skills Development Scotland), who were pleased to announce Mark Wigginton as the winner of the coveted award. Mark is 15 months into the scheme and will be moving to the work site in August 2010.

Upon receiving the award Mark said “I am very proud to have won this award. The last 15 months have been fantastic, and have gone a long way to equipping me with the skill sets needed for a long and prosperous career in the Oil and Gas industry”.

John Fraser, the Academy’s Modern Apprenticeship Scheme Manager stated that “Mark should be very proud of his achievement, it was a very hard decision for the judges, with all four candidates being exceptional but Mark is a worthy winner who strives to do his best at every opportunity. The Academy wishes Mark all the best for the New Year and the second phase of the scheme."