It was a night of celebration for Houghton International at this year’s North East Process Industry Cluster Awards as the electro mechanical engineering specialist was named Apprenticeship Employer of the Year. Furthermore, Jon Rowell, an Assistant Manager at the business, was named Young Achiever of the Year for the Support & Supply Chain category.
Apprenticeship Employer of the year is awarded to businesses who show a strong commitment to employing, nurturing and supporting apprentices. Houghton International was commended for demonstrating these criteria through their industry-leading apprenticeship scheme, which provides apprentices with an enriching, practical learning experience including opportunities to work off-site and on specialist projects.
A monetary prize of £2,000 will be donated by Houghton International to Benfield School to fund science-related projects. Phil Teah-Smith, Director of Learning for Science at Benfield School commented: “We are extremely delighted to hear of the funding we are receiving from NEPIC, having been kindly nominated by Houghton International. This will enable us to buy specialist practical resources for projects within GCSE and A Level Sciences – engaging students in practical Science that they have missed out on greatly because of the pandemic. Thank you so much from both colleagues and students alike.”
Celebrations continued at the NEPIC Awards with Jon Rowell, Houghton International’s Assistant Manager, securing Young Achiever of the Year. Jon was recognised for the exceptional progress he has made in his ten years with the company, beginning his journey as a mature apprentice and achieving top grades whilst also helping to drive forwards Houghton International’s machining and reverse engineering capabilities. He now leads his own department as Assistant Manager and takes an active role in the training and mentoring of the next generation of apprentices.
Find out more about Houghton International’s apprenticeship and training opportunities here.