Apprentice Lands Trophy in National Awards Ceremony
Tom Schwenke, one of our apprentices at Philips Lighting, has been awarded in the South East category of the National Apprenticeship Awards.
Alex Ierardi, Tom’s assessor, nominated him for the award due to his outstanding work within his apprenticeship with Philips Lighting.
Philips Lighting specialise in connected lighting, with their services ranging from home lighting to projects such as lighting stadiums, all using the state-of-the-art LED technology.
Tom received his award at the National Apprenticeship awards ceremony held at St Pauls, Aldersgate Conference Centre. The National Apprenticeship Awards search annually for apprentices who have made a real difference to the organisation they work in, by exceeding expectations and delivering measurable benefits to their companies.
For example, an apprentice may have introduced a new idea or initiative, improved procedures and systems, or made an important contribution to the development of a product or special project.
Tom (left) receiving his award
When his assessor nominated him for the award, Tom completed an application, explaining how his apprenticeship had helped him into employment, and the impact of his work within Philips Lighting.
Tom said: “Rising university fees put me off applying for a degree in the short term, but I saw a growing demand for young professionals in the workplace, so an apprenticeship seemed an ideal situation.
“My current role is within the LiAS (Lighting Application Specialists) – our role is to put together lighting proposals using lighting schematics to show clients the final locations of fittings and 3D renders to show the effect of the lighting. I currently sit in a leading design role for projects ranging from £5,000 to £200,000.
“I have really enjoyed my time as an apprentice with Philips Lighting – choosing an apprenticeship is the best decision I have made for my career.
“Throughout my time at Philips I have contributed greatly to the success of my team – one of my key successes was the extensive work carried out on UNITE Student accommodation project which included 8 months of complicated design work, which accumulated £1.5 million of Philips products and services being sold.
“I’m currently working as a technical design apprentice, but I have just received a full time offer of employment from Philips Lighting. I’m very proud of my achievement, and am looking forward to the next step in my career.”
Apprenticeship Assessor, Alex said: “Tom is a brilliant apprentice who is always focussed on doing well in his position, and excelling within the company.
“We’ve been so proud of the work that he has done, and this award is testament to Tom’s achievements as an apprentice. I’m looking forward to following his career, and seeing what he does next.”
