Awesome apprentices win top prizes at York College's inspirational REACH Awards
A pair of awesome apprentices were the winners of the two main prizes at the 2026 York College & University Centre REACH Awards.
Georgina Richardson was presented with the Principal’s Award at the York Racecourse-hosted presentation evening, having broken down gender stereotypes after excelling during her Motor Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician apprenticeship.
The Governors’ Award winner, meanwhile, was Engineering Maintenance Technician apprentice Sam Welch, whose employers Siemens Healthineers described him as "the most extensively trained apprentice in our organisation’s history".
Sam was also credited with resolving issues during his apprenticeship that even proved beyond the expertise of experienced workplace colleagues.
Georgina and Sam were joined by fellow winning and highly commended apprentices and students, who gathered in the racecourse’s Voltigeur Suite to celebrate their achievements with families, friends, their tutors and sponsors of the evening, which aims to Reward Excellence And Celebrate Hard work.
Also in attendance were the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells and Sheriff of York Geoff Cossins.
Outlining his reasons for nominating Georgina for the award, York College Motor Vehicle tutor Neil Wilkinson said: "Georgina’s consistently high performance enabled her to be fast-tracked through her Level 2 apprenticeship onto her Level 3, an achievement earned solely through her hard work, rapid skill development and ability to apply learning with confidence and accuracy. She embodies the values of the apprenticeship programme and is a true ambassador for women in the motor trade."
Apprenticeship Learning Coach Mark Barklem, who also nominated Georgina, added: “She is breaking down gender stereotypes and can inspire more women to dare to dream if they have a love for the motor industry.”
John Ellis, of her employers Mike Wilson Motors, meanwhile, enthused: “Our customers love her and ask for her when they come in. Off her own back, she has also passed her Class 1 HGV licence.
“We trust her 110%. If she says something is done, it’s done, no questions asked.”
Sam was nominated by five different members of staff at Siemens Healthineers, with a spokesperson for the company declaring: "Sam has proven to be an outstanding apprentice, engineer, student and an excellent role model for future apprentices.
"An example of this was when three highly trained and experienced engineers had given up on a mechanical repair of an X-ray C-Arm system, yet Sam stepped in and managed to mechanically disassemble the system further which ultimately led to a full system repair. While apprentices typically complete training on a single product area, Sam will also finish his apprenticeship as the most extensively trained apprentice in our organisation’s history, fully trained on four different products."
Other Special Awards were won by Maurice Cooper (Adult Learner of the Year sponsored by Northern), Poppy Wadsworth (Young Learner of the Year sponsored by ISF) and Alfie Malloy (Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Dovetail & Slate).
There were three In Memoriam Awards presented, meanwhile, to honour former students who are sadly no longer with us, but whom the college remember with fondness for their time on Campus and the legacy they have left behind.
The LIAM Award for Music winner was Rose Hewick and the LIAM Award for Art winner was Kiriyoko Barker.
LIAM stands for Laughter, Inspiration, Art and Music and the LIAM Charity was set up in memory of Liam Miller, a former Music and Art student at York College, who passed away in 2015.
Peter and Natalie Miller, from the LIAM Charity, were in attendance.
The Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation Award for Psychology, sponsored by Safer Travel, was won by Tabitha Kennedy.
It is awarded in memory of former A Level Psychology student Caroline Stuttle with the foundation having been set up to provide safer travel information to the next generation of world explorers, so they can fully realise both the importance of travel safety and the benefits of world travel.
Caroline's mother Marjorie Marks-Stuttle made the presentation.
The night’s other winners were:
Brilliance Award for Hospitality & Tourism (sponsored by York Hospitality Association): Sol Jeffers
Brilliance Award for Business (sponsored by The Durham Ox, Crayke): Dominic Procter
Brilliance Award for Construction (sponsored by Bagnalls): Danny Malcolm
Brilliance Award for Hair, Beauty & Media Make-up (supported by the Inspired Salon): Isobel Parsons
Brilliance Award for Health (supported by St Leonard’s Hospice): Liv Carricker
Brilliance Award for Skills & Inclusion (sponsored by Britcom): Tilly Hancock
Brilliance Award for Humanities & Modern Foreign Languages (sponsored by Wilkin Chapman Rollits): Poppy Jeavons
Brilliance Award for Performance & Production (sponsored by YO1 Radio): Kelly Appleby
Brilliance Award for Sport & Uniformed Services (sponsored by Better): Alice Parkinson
Brilliance Award for Digital & Media (sponsored by Air TV): Bobbi Gofton
Brilliance Award for Art & Design (sponsored by Aesthetica): Billy Eagin
There were also three winners, who were unable to attend on the evening. They were:
Brilliance Award for Motor Vehicle (sponsored by YMF Car Parts): Emil Boev; Brilliance Award for Engineering (sponsored by Nestle): Faye Allerston and Brilliance Award for Early Years & Education (supported by The Island): Sophie Wright.
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