James Boyle, a 22-year-old newly-qualified electrician with Inviron's Airports and Aviation Services unit, was crowned the JTL's National Apprentice of the Year, during an Awards Ceremony held at the Tower of London in February.

James, who represented London against the other nine regional finalists from England and Wales, was nominated by his JTL Training Officer in recognition of his continuous hard work and dedication to his training. The annual competition is organised by JTL, the leading training provider of Advanced Apprenticeships to the building services engineering sector.

James commented: "This is amazing. I was overwhelmed to win the London apprentice award, but to be named as the best apprentice in the country is mind-blowing. Over the past four years, I have enjoyed my apprenticeship so much that at times it didn't really seem like work.

"I am incredibly appreciative of the support from Inviron and particularly from the experienced electricians I work with, they always go out of their way to help the apprentices, which, in turn, helps us make sure we get the most from our training.

"I'd also like to thank my JTL mentor, Danny Blyth Tancock.  He did a fantastic job in making sure I received the correct tuition and training and I truly believe that without his and Inviron's support my apprenticeship would have been a lot harder."

Rob Robson, General Manager, Inviron's Airports & Aviation Services, added: "We're all very proud of James, it's great to see a young person grow into a really accomplished craftsperson and to see his hard work and commitment to both Inviron and his apprenticeship recognised.

"As a company we fully support apprenticeships and have benefited from working with JTL in finding and developing capable, solid apprentices with enthusiasm. If I could say anything, it would be to encourage more companies to take on apprentices as they are the future of the industry and in my experience have really helped us grow our business."

JTL's Chief Executive, Denis Hird, says: "As the leading training provider in the building services engineering sector we take great pleasure in seeing our apprentices achieving at the highest levels. However, we recognise that our apprentices' achievements would not be possible without the employers that work with us to train and support them. Their ongoing commitment and encouragement, along with that of JTL's Training Officers is crucial both to the success of our apprentices and to JTL.

"We've got 4,000 employers who already do a great job by taking on and mentoring apprentices, we just wish there were more. These awards have been a perfect example of how apprentices can, and have, helped contribute to the growth of a business; something I'm sure our 10 winning employers will agree."