An Oban youngster made waves at the annual Drax Group Apprentice Awards recently, bagging two awards for his work at the Cruachan Power Station.
Josh Smith was recognised for his role in delivering several complex projects at the Drax owned ‘Hollow Mountain’ Site near Lochawe at a ceremony in Selby, North Yorkshire.
The 28-year-old from Oban took home the Apprentice of the Year (Year 4 Craft) award and the Paul Chambers Outstanding Achievement Award 2023, which was the biggest prize on offer at the event.
Judges commended Josh for his role in delivering several complex projects at Cruachan and during the last year he has also earned an additional Higher National Certificate (HNC) on top of his normal studies.
Josh said: “I’m grateful to everyone at Cruachan for the incredible opportunity and the invaluable lessons I’ve learned. The support and mentorship have been instrumental in my professional growth.
“The knowledge and skills acquired here have prepared me well for future challenges. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned and continuing to progress in my career.”
The Oban native was one of 10 young apprentices that received awards on Thursday December 7 and one of the hosts, Drax’s Scottish assets director, Ian Kinnaird, praised the award winners.
“It is fantastic to be able to give young people the first step in their careers through our apprenticeship programme here at Drax. Our apprentices have unique talents and bring new perspectives that we can all learn from.
“All of the award winners and nominees should all be extremely proud of themselves, and we look forward to seeing how their careers progress here at Drax.”
Drax’s craft and technical apprenticeship initiative spans four years and offers new recruits an opportunity to work alongside highly qualified engineers, gaining skills in mechanical, electrical, and control & instrumentation.
The organisation also offers apprenticeship opportunities to areas in business support such as HR, cybersecurity, IT, facilities, and network security.
As Drax progresses plans to expand its new pumped storage hydro site at Cruachan, there are set to be more opportunities available for apprentices within the renewable power industry.