Bristol Street Motors Ford Wigan apprentince James Stuart has been named as 2nd Year Apprentice of the Year by Ford.

Stuart, who studies at Blackpool Skillnet and was nominated forthe award by his trainer, Paul Jones, was recognised out of all 2nd year apprentices in Ford’s portfolio of dealerships across the UK.

The 20-year-old aftersales trainee said: “I feel very proud to have been nominated and to have won this prestigious award; to come first out of all 2nd year Ford apprentices is a huge achievement.

“I’m thoroughly enjoying my apprenticeship and I have aspirations of staying at the dealership, developing my skills and becoming a master technician.”

The aim of the Ford Apprentice of the Year Awards is to celebrate the success and achievements of apprentices from a range of disciplines, at all levels.

The awards also acknowledge the dealers which employ the apprentices, in addition to the support and training provided to them to enable them to qualify and thrive in their chosen fields.

There are more than 800 apprentices across the programme and six 2nd year apprentices were finalists for the award.

Kenny Jones, general manager of Bristol Street Motors Ford Wigan, added: “I’m really pleased for James, this award is well deserved and reflects the level of hard work and dedication he puts into his job on a daily basis.”