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Apprentices from Severn Trent have been named national finalists for the Brathay Apprentice Challenge.

The Warwickshire-based team worked with schools and colleges, alongside their day jobs and their studies, to highlight the importance of STEM to hundreds of students, leading to the nomination.

Callum Sproull, one of the finalists in the Severn Trent team says “In just three months we’ve made such a huge difference to the futures of young people across Coventry. We launched a new Design and Technology curriculum for five local schools that will be used for many years, delivered insightful presentations to hundreds of students at a time and played a significant role in bridging that gap between schools and our industry.”

The apprentices also attended a number of careers fairs, took part in Severn Trent’s women in engineering day and took part in The Big Bang Fair at the NEC, all to raise the profile of apprenticeships in engineering.

“Being part of such a fantastic and rewarding team is one of the reasons I chose to join the Severn Trent apprentice programme. The opportunities I’ve been given are invaluable and by going into local schools and talking about being a Severn Trent apprentice means I’ve hopefully helped others shape their future and hopefully choose to use their talent at a company like Severn Trent,” adds Callum.

The Severn Trent apprentices will be joined in the final by teams from seven other major companies from across the Country.

On getting through to the National Finals, Amy Barber, apprentice programme manager from Severn Trent said:  “We’re so proud of the achievements of all our teams, this is the first year we’ve entered the challenge and we had three teams of apprentices competing in different regions. The benefit to all the apprentices has been evident from day one. I’ve been really inspired by the commitment and passion shown, and it’s just awesome that our Asset Creation team has made the final.”

Speaking at the House of Commons National Finalists Announcement, Godfrey Owen, Chief Executive of organisers, Brathay Trust, said: “All of the teams that have taken part have worked really hard and the quality of the portfolios increases year on year.  “The apprentice team of the year finals demonstrate the skills, knowledge and desire to succeed from apprentices; and this continues to inspire others and impress us in equal measure. It is great to  see apprentices put in the hard work to get the recognition they deserve, highlighting how apprenticeships benefit not only young people themselves, but their employers and their local community too.

“We look forward to the National Finals and welcoming the teams to Brathay in June for the Finale.”

For more information on Severn Trent’s apprentice programme please visit www.severntrentapprentices.com