Gas man Matt’s reward for going above and beyond
AN Ashbourne tutor who has been training up new plumbing and gas engineer recruits has been recognised as one of the best in his field.
Matthew Mellor, who works for Ashbourne-based Derbyshire Smart Gas Training Centre, was given an Award in Excellence by the British Plumbing Employees Council, and this was topped off recently with the charity’s Best Plumbing Trainer in the Workplace award.
The award scheme, which is run in partnership with the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors, set out to recognise hard working trainers who have gone the extra mile during a challenging few years for the industry.
Mr Mellor said: “I am totally humbled to have received such an award, as there were so many nominations from all over the UK.
“I am very pleased that some of the Smart Gas apprentices were commended also, and I am delighted to see all the apprentices I trained achieve their Level 3 Gas Apprenticeship Certificates, this makes it all worthwhile to me.
“The apprentices of 2021 have been fantastic and I am looking forward to a new cohort in 2022.”
Based in the Runway Business Park, Smart Gas Training Centre has been delivering training to plumbers and gas engineers in the East Midlands for the past five years.
The centre’s director, Patrick O’sullivan, said: “The BPEC Award in Excellence is there to recognise a tutor from the plumbing industry who has made a difference to the social wellbeing of their local community.
“And during the pandemic Matt was extremely vigilant in ensuring all his apprentices were kept engaged and up to date with their course work.
“Matt went above and beyond to support his apprentices through the pandemic ensuring that all apprentices who lost their job during the pandemic were re-employed
“We are very lucky to have Matt teaching our apprentices and as a local of Ashbourne, Matt is well-known and respected and with his nomination coming from the Smart Gas apprentices, this makes the award all the more special for Matt.”