Flying the flag for training at Number 10
Feb 6 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette
MIDDLESBROUGH apprentice Jon Nixon was the representative for Teesside training organisation TTE when he travelled to Number 10 to meet the PM.
The 18-year-old was invited by Stockton South MP Dari Taylor to join her at a reception to celebrate the endeavours of young people.
In September 2005, Jon, who went to school at Nunthorpe Comprehensive where he achieved A* in all of his GCSE subjects, started a four-year Tees Valley production technician programme, the first two years of which are carried out at TTE’s training centres at South Bank and Wilton.
He achieved a City and Guilds Certificate in Process Technology, NVQ level 2 in Process Operations, BTEC National Certificate in Operations and Maintenance Engineering with a double grade distinction.
The teenager is now training at chemical company BASF, where he will progress his NVQ 3 in Complex Process Operations. He is also studying for a foundation degree in chemical engineering at Teesside University.
Jon said: “Visiting 10 Downing Street and meeting the Prime Minister is something I shall never forget. There are not many teenagers who can say they have done that. It was a great privilege to be chosen to represent apprentices at the reception.”
Keith Hunter, managing director of TTE, said: “Jon is proof that the type of training offered by TTE gives young people the opportunity to work at blue-chip industrial giants like BASF.
“It is important that those at the highest level are made even more aware of the major contribution that apprentices and vocational-led training make to the skills and employment agenda and, therefore, it is great that Jon got the chance to meet Gordon Brown face to face.”
Dari Taylor said: “I was asked to invite a young person who was doing something exceptional and who would be an inspiration to others. I wanted to demonstrate that engineering is not a sunset but a sunrise industry and that apprenticeships pave the way to a good career and are an option which more young people should take up.”
