The final decision will be made through a combination of public online votes and judges’ votes and you can vote now for Samuel at the European Alliance for Apprenticeship Awards website. Voting will close on Tuesday 15 October so there are just seven more days to make your vote count.
Samuel, who is a third year apprentice joiner with Mark Pollack Joinery in Kilrea, will travel to Helsinki next week to face an expert panel of judges and the winner will be announced in the Finnish capital during European Vocational Skills Week, 14-18 October 2019.
Samuel said he was looking forward to travelling to Finland.
“I never expected to be even nominated for an award so I was shocked and completely speechless. It is such an exciting opportunity to be able to travel to Helsinki and represent the College on an international stage.
Acknowledging the support he had received from others, Samuel added:
“I have learned so much from both my tutor Ian Forsythe and my employer, Mark Pollock and my classmates have all been really encouraging. They support has been invaluable – all I need now is the public vote!” he said.
Being shortlisted for the European Apprentice award is the most recent achievement for the Aghadowey apprentice who has enjoyed an incredibly successful year. He was the Northern Ireland Young Apprentice of the Year in 2018 and won a gold medal at the UK National Finals of WorldSkills UK Live 2018.
As a gold medallist, Samuel has been invited back to WorldSkills UK LIVE 2019 in November to compete for a place in Squad UK and a chance to compete in the International WorldSkills competition in Shanghai, China in 2021.
Earlier this year, Samuel had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to learn more about the work of apprentices there.
Ian Forsythe, carpentry lecturer at the College, said:
“This nomination really is the icing on the cake of a fantastic 12 months for Samuel. He has worked incredibly hard to achieve this success and his dedication and hours of extra practice have paid off.
Samuel is a fantastic role model for the other students who really look up to him. He is real credit to the youth of today and I wish him every bit of luck for the finals,” he said.
Join the conversation in the lead up to the European Alliance for Apprenticeships Awards on social media by using #EUVocationalSkills or #DiscoverYourTalent.