Aidan Cottingham, representing the Lancaster dealerpoint of Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland has won the prestigious Jim Keyden award as Volvo Trucks’ Apprentice of the Year 2019.
He was presented with the trophy by Robert Grozdanovski, the new Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland at the annual Apprentice Awards ceremony, held recently at The McLaren Technology Centre near Woking.
The Jim Keyden Award is awarded annually to the graduating Apprentice of the Year and named in honour of Jim Keyden, who along with Jim McKelvie, founded Ailsa Trucks in Barrhead, Scotland in 1967 (Ailsa Trucks were the sole importers of Volvo Trucks for the UK and Ireland before being bought out by Volvo themselves in 1975).
Robert Grozdanovski also presented several other key prizes including this year’s Highest Academic Achiever Award, which was won by Luke Hopkins from the Pontypridd dealerpoint, of Truck & Bus Wales & West and the Highest Vocational Achiever Award, which was presented to Michael Lawrence of Thomas Hardie Commercials’ Liverpool dealerpoint.
The ‘Grafter’ Award was presented to winner Luke Maylin of the Wellingborough dealerpoint of Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia by Matthew Eisenegger, editor of award sponsor CV Driver magazine.
The Volvo Apprentice Academy celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year.
The Volvo Trucks Apprentice Programme was launched in 1995 and is delivered over four years of ‘block’ attendance at Stephenson College, based in Coalville, Leicestershire, who are long-term partners of the programme. Since 1996, more than 800 apprentices have graduated. Today there are more than 1,500 skilled Technicians in the Volvo UK and Ireland dealer network.