Cessnock man Ben McDonald has been named the best apprentice in the Hunter Region.
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Mr McDonald, 25, is studying for his Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician, trained by Hunter Valley Training Company and works at Peabody Wambo underground mine.
He received the award for best overall apprentice across all trades at the 2017 Hunter Regional Apprenticeship and Traineeship Advisory (HRATA) awards.
Mr McDonald’s previous honours in 2017 already included the Hunter Valley Training Company apprentice of the year and the Theo Baitch Memorial Prize (presented to the top-performing Diploma of Electrical Engineering student across TAFE NSW).
He said he was inspired to follow in his father’s and great-grandfather’s footsteps in 2012 when he applied for an electrical apprenticeship.
Now in the final year of his Certificate III Electrotechnology – Electrician training, Mr McDonald has performed above expectations throughout his apprenticeship.
He completed his Certificate IV in Industrial Electronics and Control and Diploma of Electrical Engineering alongside his electrical apprenticeship.
He said one of his greatest achievements was receiving Hunter Valley Training Company’s first-ever perfect score in the theoretical Electrical Capstone test.
Along with his recent awards, Mr McDonald also received a Cessnock City Council Mayoral Scholarship and attended the Today's Skills Tomorrow's Leaders program at Parliament House in 2016.
“Receiving the awards comes with a lot of pride and gives me the confidence to try and better myself further in my chosen career,” he said.
“I hope to utilise what I have learnt throughout my studies and experiences, applying it to the way I go about jobs day to day.”
The HRATA awards were presented at NEX Wests City on June 16.
The evening saluted the exceptional dedication to the chosen careers of apprentices and trainees from the Hunter Region across 35 vocations, as well as the commitment of their employers in the provision of quality training.
Cessnock woman Taylah Bamback was a finalist in the Business Administration trainee section.
Ms Bamback, 19, is employed at Cessnock Glass. She narrowly missed out on the win in her category.
The overall winners from the HRATA awards move forward to the interview stage for the NSW Training Awards.
