Awards for the County’s Brightest and Best

Skilled and talented young people from across Surrey, together with their parents and sponsors, gathered at County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames for the 12th annual Surrey County Scholars and Surrey County Apprentices organised by SATRO: www.satro.org.uk. Awards including trophies, certificates and cash prizes were presented to students by Dr Helen Bowcock, DL, High Sheriff and Mr Paul Coleman, DL, Coleman Charitable Trust.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the John Coleman Trophy to the overall winning apprentice, Chris Bowman. Chris attends Brooklands College and is employed by Paramount Precision Engineering where he is involved in 3D modelling techniques.

Two other Trophies were also awarded to Apprentices in recognition of their dedication and commitment. The Wates Cup was awarded to Ryan Crook who is undertaking an apprenticeship in Advanced Fibrous Plastering with George Jackson Ltd and attends NESCOT.

The Gordon Cockburn Trophy was awarded to Mark Pokorny who is employed by Southern Railway and currently working on his final project for a National Diploma in electrical and electronic engineering at East Surrey College.

Surrey County Council Leader, David Hodge, said: "Apprenticeships are good for business and a successful career. Our aim by next April is to give 500 young people the leg up they need to find work at a difficult time and provide employers with the skilled workforce they require to thrive."

Eight of the County’s brightest and best Scholars were awarded bursaries to enable them to study science and engineering at university and to open up exciting career opportunities with leading Surrey-based companies.

Paying tribute to all of the nominated students and scholars, the High Sheriff, Dr Helen Bowcock, DL, said, “The students receiving these awards are a fantastic example of what our young people can achieve and we should all be extremely proud of them.”