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We recently named young painter and decorator James Riley as our Apprentice of the Year.

The annual competition saw us select an outstanding young person from our current pool of 41 apprentices nationwide. James, 21, is a third-year apprentice based at our Wrexham office, and will now act as our ambassador for the rest of the year.

James joined us as an apprentice in 2013 and currently combines his work with his college studies at Wirrall Metropolitan College. During his four years with us, he has taken advantage of our comprehensive training programmes and will complete his apprenticeship in September 2017.

As well as working alongside permanent staff on our refurbishment and construction projects, James has volunteered his time for several community projects. It is testament to James’ reliability and hard work that he was twice chosen to represent the company on its annual humanitarian trip to Slovenia.

James said: “It’s an honour to have been named ‘Apprentice of the Year’ by Novus. Having been shortlisted for the award last year and working alongside people like Luke, I know how hard all the Novus apprentices work, so I’m very happy that the judges have selected me as the winner.

“The opportunities open to apprentices at Novus are endless, and I hope that once I complete my apprenticeship I can start on my permanent career with the company.”

The runners up in the apprentice of the year shortlist were Luke Mulliner, also a third-year painting and decorating apprentice in our Wrexham office, and Reece Jones, a first-year multi-trade apprentice based in Birmingham.

Jackie Budden, our training manager, said: “James has excelled as an apprentice, showing an impressive level of commitment to both his on-site work and his studies.

“This year’s award was hotly contested by three very good candidates, and James’ ability as a painter and decorator and his dedication to the firm’s values set him apart. We will be keeping a close eye on his career as he has a very bright future ahead of him.”