Jul 02 - Gibtelecom Celebrates Apprenticeship Scheme Success
Gibtelecom celebrated the successful completion of the third intake of its communications apprenticeship scheme, launched in 2008, with a graduation reception at the Rock Hotel on Monday evening. Three apprentices graduated with a BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council)Diploma in Professional Competence for IT & Telecoms Professionals.
Joe Bossano, Minister for Economic Development, Telecommunications and the Gibraltar Savings Bank and Neil Costa, Minister for Business and Employment, attended the ceremony. Mr Bossano presented the graduating apprentices with their certificates marking the successful completion of their four years apprenticeship scheme with Gibtelecom, as well as their BTEC awards. Commenting on the success of the programme, Mr Bossano spoke about how “when it comes to technical knowledge there is a need to acquire the necessary skills to meet new challenges, and that this is essential to ensure the continuing success of Gibraltar’s economy”. He added that the Company “has been a key foundation of that economy as communications in today’s world play such an important role”.
Tim Bristow, Gibtelecom’s CEO, also expressed words of encouragement to the apprentices at the awards ceremony saying that “the four year programme which some started in 2008, others in 2009 and the remainder in 2010, was designed to give young people valuable communications, IT and related skills throughout the various stages of the scheme”. He congratulated the graduating apprentices and added that “their skills will go a long way to serve not only Gibtelecom’s requirements but those of the wider community”. He also thanked GibDock for their part in the initial induction programme, and the Gibraltar College for their general guidance and training of Gibtelecom’s BTEC assessors, previously NVQ (National Vocational Qualification). The apprentices at the outset completed a three month NVQ Level 1 in basic hand skills at GibDock, followed by “on the job” structured training with Gibtelecom over four years, which included a short street works and health and safety course with British Telecom in the UK. All the graduating apprentices have taken up jobs with Gibtelecom.
The apprentices who graduated were Michael Benitez; Kairon Morillo and Craig Lima. They represented the third intake of apprentices, the previous two intakes graduated in 2012 and 2014 respectively, bringing to a total of sixteen apprentices that have graduated since the scheme’s inception.
Top pic: Michael Benitez; The Hon Joe Bossano, Minister for Economic Development, Telecommunications and the Gibraltar Savings Bank; The Hon Neil Costa, Minister for Business and Employment; Kairon Morillo and Gibtelecom CEO, Tim Bristow.
Bottom: Ministers and CEO as above with past and present graduating apprentices.
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